Jin Arashi: The Storm Amongst the Mist
by Blackright709
Summary: Life can spiral out of control like a typhoon in an instant, and that's what happens for Jin Arashi when an insane, unqualified Mizukage starts a civil war in the Land of Water. Young and unprepared, Jin has to learn the horrors of war, his only goal to defend his younger sister. Being one of the last Typhoon users in the world, he's pressured to join the rebellion. (COTK Universe)
1. Chapter 1: Bloody Waves

_Hello Everyone~_

_ The story is mostly about a character I sent to Blackright709 when he requested OC's for COTK Classic a little over a year ago. Sadly, it didn't end up getting used at the time, but it is now the MC of this story. _

_ I, personally, have been wanting to write a story/fanfiction for a long time. So when Blackright offered to work with me to write a story based around my OC, Jin Arashi, I was thrilled. _

_Also, besides just writing about my OC, this story is intended to fill out and expand the Land of Water in the COTK Universe. (Which is Black's take on the Naruto Universe.)_

_I want you all to be aware that Black and I won't be responding to reviews in chapters, as we don't want to affect the word count like that. Never the less, we love getting feedback and encourage joining the discord server for this story and others written by Blackright709. (The join code for the Discord Server will be at the bottom of every chapter.)_

_ Before writing this story, I'd experimented with some writing, but I didn't think the writing life was for me. Today, though, I can say that I'm enjoying writing quite a bit. Black's an asshole, however._

_ I hope you all enjoy it!_

_ \- TheLegendaryOne_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Bloody Waves  
**

* * *

**Katsuo Village, Shikoku Island, Land of Water, EN.**

Breathing deeply, Jin psyched himself up before getting down on his hands and knees. Putting his feet together, he stretched them out behind him. He made sure his back was straight. The ground was slightly damp beneath his hands, but he was used to that. It was always damp here, the mist made sure of that.

Breathing in deeply through his nose, Jin lowered himself as close to the ground as he could, and pushed up, breathing out through his mouth sharply. This was his favorite part of his exercise routine, but he could feel the exhaustion in his limbs. Ever since his father learned he liked push-ups, he wasn't allowed to do them till last. Something about how it made everything better if one did the hard things first. He hadn't been listening.

"Four... Five..." Jin grunted, counting as he pushed up. Nearby, his sister Hikari was playing with one of her many dolls on the only bench in the small fenced-in backyard. She'd followed him out of the house half an hour ago and had been playing with her toy the entire time. How she managed to keep herself entertained with something so simple, he couldn't understand.

Shaking his head, he returned to doing push-ups. "Six... Seven..."

"Hey. Can I ride on your back?"

The question made him falter, and he barely caught himself before landing face-first on the damp ground. Taking a moment to get his breath back, he sat up and looked at his sister in amusement.

"No, Hikari. There is no way I could lift you."

His sister made her trademark pouty face, the one that always got her father to bend to her wishes. However, such a trick didn't work on him. He simply raised an eyebrow at her, curious to see what she would do. Besides, he was taking full advantage of the distraction to get some energy back.

"Dad lets me ride on his back when he's doing those..." Hikari complained.

He just laughed, "Well, I'm not Dad. You don't see me punching holes through stone walls, do you?"

Hikari pouted harder, and he just chuckled. She always tried the same thing on him, even though she'd never succeeded in getting him to do what she wanted.

"I can punch through walls too..." Hikari said, just loud enough for him to hear her.

Jin just nodded in mock agreement, "Of course you can, Hikari, I'd never want to get punched by you."

Making sure to get back into the correct position, he continued with his push-ups. He only got through four more before he was interrupted by his mother calling from the house that food was ready.

"Come inside you two, your father has the night shift tonight, and needs to leave soon."

Before Jin had gotten to his feet, Hikari was already running inside the house, narrowly squeezing by her mother's legs. He shook his head and picked up the doll his sister had abandoned before wiping off the slight bit of mud on its clothes.

—

Tapping his sister's shoulder, he got her to look at him long enough to take her doll back. After scolding her lightly for dropping it again, he made his way to his seat on the other side of the table. He paused for a moment to let his mother by as she headed toward the kitchen.

His father, after inspecting the food his mother had just placed in front of him, looked up at him.

"How was your exercise, Jin?"

He smiled ruefully, "I almost finished it, but Kaa-san called us, so I missed the last ten push-ups." He replied as he sat down in his chair. His father waved it off.

"That's fine. It's getting dark, so it's best that you came in anyway."

Jin nodded and gratefully accepted the bowl his mother handed to him. He could see the steam coming off the soup's surface, and he immediately recognized it. Looking across the table, he was unsurprised to see his sister with an excited look on her face.

He realized she'd known what was for dinner long before he had, which was why she was so excited. Her favorite food was Nyonya Fish Maw, and that's what they were having for dinner.

"Calm, Hikari. Let your mother at least put the bowl down before you eat it all." Kingo said, getting a distracted nod from his daughter.

"No, no, no." Satsuki chided, stopping Hikari mid-bite. "I haven't even gotten my food yet, you can wait."

Jin watched his sister's expression with amusement as they waited for their mother to return from the kitchen with her food and sit down. In sync with his father and sister, Jin thanked his mother. As soon as Hikari had said her thank you, she had a spoon full of soup in her mouth.

Her father looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Slow down there, Hikari. You're gonna choke on your food, and then you won't be able to eat any more of it."

Jin snorted, "How terrible that would be."

He was barely able to keep himself from laughing at the horrified expression on his five-year-old sister's face as she realized. Very carefully, she lowered the spoon into the soup and put it back in her mouth.

"I'll go slow," Hikari answered fearfully, causing her mother to crack and start laughing. Jin just shook his head and took the first bite of his own food. It was, of course, delicious. His mother was a fantastic cook, according to his friends.

The family ate in silence for a few moments until Satsuki pointed her spoon at Kingo. "Didn't you say something about Montasu being on duty?"

Jin jumped in shock as a loud clang interrupted his mother. Instantly, both of his parents got to their feet, knocking over their chairs. He looked between them rapidly, trying to understand the look on their faces. His mother nodded to his father, and the next second, his father disappeared in a swirl of water.

A pained cry from his sister made him look over at her. She'd dropped her spoon in shock, and it had splashed hot soup all over her face.

"Kaa-san, what's going on?" Jin asked as he got to his feet, quickly walking around the table to help his mother clean his sister's face. The entire time the clanging was constant, and Jin realized it was a bell.

His mother ignored his question, "Jin, I want you to take Hikari and go to the flood shelter. Lock yourselves inside, and _do not_ open the door for anyone. Do you understand me?"

She had to shout to be heard over the bell, even at such close range, and he nodded his head rapidly. Carefully taking Hikari from his mother, he considered asking whether or not he should let in his friends, but she was already gone.

He looked around and noticed his mother's katana on the wall was gone as well. Shaking his head, he tried to calm Hikari, who was crying. Hoisting her up in his arms, he stepped over a fallen chair and opened the back door.

The bell only got louder, sounding like it was right next to him. He could barely hear Hikari's crying. Reaching the backyard gate, he kicked it. He didn't have time to fiddle with the rusted lock. It splintered into pieces under his heel.

Stepping out into the back alleyway, Jin turned left, sprinting as fast as he felt safe on the wet ground toward the main road of the village. It was the fastest way to the flood shelter, which was at the end of the road.

A second later, he was on the main street, and he couldn't help looking toward the beach, where the noise was coming from. Shinobi were leaping from rooftop to rooftop, all heading toward the beach as fast as they could. He could barely make out a massive ship through the trees and bamboo on the ocean surface. He didn't recognize it.

_Is someone attacking us? Who would do that?_ Jin thought, turning away and running toward the flood shelter. Whatever it was, he believed his parents would protect their village.

"Whoa!" Jin shouted, barely keeping his balance as the ground shook violently. Continuing to run, he didn't look back again, reaching the flood bunker a few moments later. He set Hikari down and pulled her into the dimly lit room after him and slammed the door shut.

—

Crouching down, Jin pushed a piece of debris aside, revealing a torn and slightly damp book. It had been his favorite one, a book about plant life in the Land of Water. Standing back up, book in hand, Jin surveyed the rubble that was once his house.

He wasn't entirely sure how long it had been since he and his family had been sitting in the dining room. The kitchen was now barely more than collapsed walls and a splintered table. Fear had made him wait for at least an hour until he couldn't hear anything outside before he dared to open the flood bunker door.

"Jin... Where is Kaa-san?"

Sighing, he just shrugged his shoulders, even though he knew his sister couldn't see him. He'd already told her he didn't know. _I do know, though... I know what happened... they're... _

"My doll!"

Hikari's cry of sudden happiness made him look up, and begin walking through the mess toward his sister. "It's stuck!"

Rounding what little remained of the wall between the dining room and kitchen, Jin saw his sister trying to pull her doll out from under a large smoothed stone.

"I got it, Hikari," Jin said. It took some effort to lift the stone, but as soon as he did, Hikari pulled the doll free. He was impressed the arm stayed attached, considering how hard his sister was pulling on it.

Carefully setting the stone back down, Jin walked over to his sister and sat down. His back complained from the uncomfortable wood splinters he was leaning against, but he didn't care.

"Hi! My name's Hikari!"

Jin opened his eyes, sitting up straight immediately. He'd barely had his eyes closed for a second, and somehow this stranger had snuck up on them when he wasn't looking. Jin hadn't even heard them. It was too dark for him to make out their face, but he recognized their clothing as belonging to a Shinobi.

_Are they one of the Shinobi who attacked us? _Jin wondered, trying to search for a way to escape. He was at a horrible disadvantage. The Shinobi would undoubtedly catch him before he even got to his feet.

"There's no need to be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you."

Their reassuring tone didn't make him feel any better, and he wished he'd gone to look for a Kunai in the rubble instead of the useless book in his hand. Glancing at Hikari, he noticed that she didn't seem the least bit bothered by the stranger.

"Are you Jin and Hikari Arashi?"

Something made him pause, not immediately responding as he tried to consider whether telling the truth was the right choice.

"Yep!" Hikari said happily, unknowingly taking the choice out of Jin's hands. Jin looked at his sister, then back at the Shinobi. _I can't outrun him... _

Jin flinched as the unknown Shinobi raised their hands, "I'm here from a friend of your parents. I'm going to take you to them, okay?"

He barely managed to grab his sister before the Shinobi touched both of their shoulders, and everything vanished.

—

At first, it was too overwhelming, and he'd been forced to close his eyes and bury his head between his arms to block out the roaring wind in his ears. After several minutes, he'd slowly gotten used to the experience and tentatively raised his head.

The only still thing was the Shinobi, who'd introduced himself as Heiji and on whose back he was now riding. Everything else was a blurry speeding mess of blue, green, and misty hues. It wasn't an entirely new experience. His father has once carried him around their island at speed when he was young, but he couldn't really remember it.

After a few minutes of trying to focus on things around him, Jin gave up and let his head drop back down. Exhaustion was catching up to him, and he wished he'd been able to fall asleep as Hikari had earlier.

He didn't know how he and his sister had suddenly appeared in a boat after Heiji had put his hands on their shoulders, but he'd been too tired to try to figure it out.

Heiji had explained again that he was taking them to a friend of his parents. He'd just nodded as they said something about going to the new Resistance's base. Hikari fell asleep a few minutes later with her head in his lap, and despite trying to get some sleep himself, he couldn't.

His parents were dead. The realization plagued his every thought. They had died protecting him and his sister, and now it was up to him to protect Hikari. He didn't feel like he could do it.

Anger seethed within him, but he had no one to aim it at. He didn't know who had killed his parents, but whoever they were, he knew that he hated them.

"Jin! Are you there?"

Hikari's voice, barely audible over the rushing wind in his ears, made him lift his head and look around. Of course, he couldn't see her, but it sounded like she was off somewhere to his left. She was being carried by another Shinobi.

"I'm here!" He yelled in response.

"Are we there yet?"

He felt like laughing, but it didn't come.

"We're almost there," Heiji replied for him. Jin was surprised at how easy it was to hear Heiji's voice.

After a few minutes of high speed traveling, Jin felt his head spin as Heiji came to an abrupt stop. Immediately dropping to his feet, he stumbled for a few steps as he tried to regain his sense of balance.

He felt someone place their hand on his shoulder, steadying him.

"You'll get used to it, everyone has that reaction at first," Heiji said, and he nodded, still rubbing his eyes. After a moment, his vision cleared, and he was surprised at what was in front of him.

Sprawled out in an uncharacteristically dry clearing for the Land of Water was a camp. Tents the size of his house were everywhere, and in between were more tents, but smaller.

Jin was in awe of the number of Shinobi absolutely everywhere. He knew that his village had a decent amount of Shinobi, but there were more here than he'd ever seen in his life.

His attention was drawn to one of the larger tents as a man stepped out of the entrance. They weren't wearing the regular Shinobi clothing, but it was clear they were a Shinobi. He was amazed by the size of the sword attached to their back. It was taller than the Shinobi was!

"Follow me, you two," Heiji said, gesturing for them to follow. Jin jumped as something touched his hand, and turned to find it was Hikari. Taking her hand, he followed Heiji down a small path into the clearing.

They had to stop for a moment as a Shinobi carrying a massive bundle of metal poles with one arm passed by. Jin couldn't even begin to imagine how heavy all of those were.

After a few minutes of walking, Heiji stopped in front of a smaller tent and stepped to the side.

"In here," he said, pulling aside one of the tent flaps.

Jin was more pulled in by Hikari than anything else, her grip on his hand not faltering in the least. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, but when they did, he saw a girl who didn't seem to be that much older than him sitting at a desk.

"Ameyuri!" Hikari cried, letting go of his hand and running across the tent to grab the red-haired teen. After a moment, he recalled Ameyuri coming to visit and having dinner at his house multiple times when he was younger.

_How did Hikari remember who she was before I did?_ Jin wondered.

"Hello, Hikari, I see you're just as cute as ever," Ameyuri said brightly, helping Hikari up into her lap.

"Uh, huh!" Hikari replied happily. Jin saw Ameyuri gesture for him to come, and he realized he was still standing at the entrance of the tent. Shaking his head, he walked over.

"I'm glad to see that both of you are okay," Ameyuri said. Jin nodded dumbly.

Biting his lip, Jin decided to ask the question that had been at the front of his mind since he'd first heard the bell ring.

"Ameyuri-san, what's going on?"

Ameyuri's smile faded away immediately, and he wondered if asking was the wrong choice.

"A war has broken out in the Land of Water, Jin," Ameyuri replied, her tone grave.

Jin started to ask another question when Ameyuri cut him off.

"Let's get you two a bath and then to bed, I can tell you're exhausted, Jin. Though this little runt seems full of energy." Ameyuri said as she picked Hikari up. Hikari just giggled.

* * *

6 to 12 more chapters are **always available** or in development over at our discord.

The Discord Server code is: **yewTGGX**

New chapters are typically released _every_ week on Thursday.

**Join us to read, comment and contribute to rough drafts, drafts, release candidates and public chapters before they're released elsewhere!**

This chapter was posted on: 2/20/2020  
_Message here_

**Co-authors:**

TheLegendaryOne

**Special thanks to those that helped create this chapter:**

Qibolu  
TheLegendaryOne

**Beta Readers:**

Tensleep  
Qibolu

**OC Creators of OC's in this chapter:**

Jin Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Hikari Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Satsuki Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Kingo Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)


	2. Chapter 2: One Hit

**Chapter 2: One Hit**

* * *

**Command Resistance Camp, Mitsukejima Island, Land of Water, EN.**

Summoning water from the ground beneath her hand, Ameyuri manipulated the clear fluid through the air until it merged with the cloth in her left hand. Letting the rest of the water drop to the ground, she watched it splash up before soaking back into the dirt.

Sighing quietly, Ameyuri expertly drew one of the twin-swords from her right hip and laid it across her leg. Running the cloth along the side of the blade, she was careful to prevent the fabric from being cut.

After a few moments, she flipped the weapon over and began cleaning the other side. She tried to convince herself that cleaning her swords was all she needed to do, but the nagging thought in her mind wouldn't leave her alone.

Shaking her head, Ameyuri sheathed the sword and finally focused on the real reason she'd sat down. Being one of the Legendary Swordsmen meant that she'd done unimaginable things in her life, but she'd never thought looking after two newly-orphaned children would be one of them.

She was nineteen, it was too early in her life for this. Yet, despite her logic, here they were. Jin and his younger sister Hikari, sleeping peacefully on a single cot together.

As soon as the information that Shikoku island had been attacked had reached her, she'd immediately tried to go and help. Her doctor wouldn't hear of it, suggesting instead that she send someone to go check for her.

She'd come ever so close to killing her doctor for the fourth time that day. However, Zabuza had prevented her from getting out of her sick-bed in the end.

It pained her pride and honor to admit that they were both right. She was in no condition to get into a fight. Ameyuri noticed her hand spasm and placed it on the handle of her sword. She was getting herself worked up.

There wasn't going to be a shoulder to cry on. She _was_ dying, and she had to accept that.

_But now I have a chance. I have an opportunity to repay the debt I owe Jin's parents. _Ameyuri thought. It seemed she'd already made up her mind. She would train Jin to become a Shinobi. It was too early for Hikari to begin training, and Ameyuri doubted she would live long enough to teach Hikari anything. All she could do was hope Jin would survive the war after her death and be able to look after his sister.

Rolling her shoulders, Ameyuri winced. Her affliction, whatever it would be named after her death, was incurable, and it was destroying her heart and lungs. Stumbling slightly as she stood, she forced the pain down and walked over to the siblings' cot.

It was apparent Jin was still exhausted, and she regretted having to wake him up so early in the morning. However, time was ticking, and she didn't have any more to waste. The future of the war, and her ability to train him, was uncertain. She needed to prepare Jin as much as she was able.

"Jin... Jin..." She whispered lightly as she shook the boy's shoulder. Jin mumbled something but didn't wake. Sighing, she crouched down next to the cot and brushed Jin's long hair to the side.

"Jin, wake up."

Shaking his shoulder slightly harder, Jin's eyes cracked open.

"Wha..?"

She smiled, intentionally hiding her teeth. "Wake up, Jin. There are several things you and I need to do today."

Jin grumbled, pulling the blanket she'd given him last night tighter. "But, I'm tired..."

She couldn't resist the urge to smile, incidentally revealing her sharp teeth, "I know Jin, but it's time to get up."

Jin nodded reluctantly and pushed himself up off the cot, being careful not to wake Hikari. Seeing Hikari try to pull him back, he moved his pillow into her arms, finally breaking free. Ameyuri smiled as Hikari pulled the pillow close and fell back asleep. Standing, she backed up and let Jin rub his eyes.

"She always slept with either our parents or me, she enjoys cuddling." Jin said, smiling as he looked at his sister before turning back to Ameyuri. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to train you, Jin, so that you can protect your sister."

Jin immediately woke up fully, "You're going to train me?"

She nodded.

"Let's go!" Jin yelled excitedly as he stood up, seemingly drawing more energy from the ether.

"Okay, follow me." Ameyuri said and walked toward the front of the tent. Jin followed her for a moment then stopped, causing her to look at him in concern.

"What about Hikari-chan?"

Looking back across the tent, Ameyuri saw the young girl tightly clutching her doll as she lay snuggled in a blanket. She couldn't help smiling at the sight. _I'm smiling a lot more just with these two here, who would have thought._

"A friend of mine is going to look after her while we're gone," she explained. Jin seemed unsure for a moment before nodding and walking up to her.

As they stepped out of the tent, Jin had to cover his eyes from the blinding sunlight. The Land of Water was always the brightest in the very early hours of the morning. This was because the sun would catch the everlasting fog in just the right way, seemingly trapping the light within it.

"It's really early," Jin said, slowly lowering his arms as his eyes became accustomed to the light. She nodded, "Let's go get some breakfast. Then we will start your training."

Jin eagerly agreed.

—

Even though he was standing right next to her and saw her do it, Jin still jumped at the loud crack.

"How did you do that?" He asked in amazement as he walked up to the tree trunk in the middle of the small, foggy clearing.

Driven deep into the wood was two identical-looking swords.

"Chakra," Ameyuri replied simply, and he nodded. He was fascinated by the swords. They didn't look like any he'd ever seen before.

He looked over at Ameyuri, "What are they?"

He suddenly realized that he had seen the strange swords before. Ameyuri had been carrying them with her during breakfast, he just hadn't been paying attention. His stomach had been driving him.

"The Kiba swords, one of the Seven Legendary Swords of the Land of Water." Ameyuri replied.

"Whoa, cool!" Jin said. His father had told him about the Legendary Swords before, and he'd always wanted to see one. "Can I hold one?"

Ameyuri nodded and lifted her hand to her mouth to hide a cough as soon as Jin turned away.

Eagerly grabbing the closest sword by the hilt, Jin tried as hard as he could to pull it free.

The sword didn't budge in the slightest.

Frowning, Jin got up on the trunk and firmly planted his feet to either side of the sword. Using his legs, Jin tried to lift the sword, but still couldn't get it to move.

"I can't get it," Jin admitted in defeat as he dropped to the ground. He was both shocked and annoyed as Ameyuri walked up and simply pulled both swords out of the wood.

"That's not fair..." He said, and Ameyuri just raised an eyebrow.

"Now, what do you know about the Shinobi Arts?"

"I know what chakra is, but I don't really know how to use it. Tou-san taught me how to unlock my chakra when I was six, but I've only been allowed to use it to practice Ninjutsu. Tou-san had me do Taijutsu exercises every day." Jin stopped for a moment and looked at the ground. Ameyuri noticed him clenching his fists tightly.

"I was supposed to go to the Shinobi Academy in Kiri next year..."

Ameyuri was at a loss for what to say or do.

She took an uncertain step toward Jin, then stopped. She couldn't see Jin's face, so she couldn't tell if he was crying or not. Her indecision was cut off by Jin lifting his head and looking at her, doing his best to hide the tears on his face. She decided it was best to just pretend like nothing had happened.

"Very good. Did your father teach you a Taijutsu style?" She asked, and Jin shook his head. Ameyuri resisted the urge to sigh. She would have to start with more basic stuff than she'd hoped.

Jin began to follow after her as she backed up, and she raised her hand for him to stop.

"Here's what we're going to do first. I want you to do your best to hit me." She said, and Jin nodded.

She expected him to come sprinting toward her, but instead, he stared at the swords in her hands nervously.

_Oh right... He would be afraid of those, _Ameyuri realized, having forgotten she was holding the swords.

Jin watched in amazement and partly fear as Ameyuri chucked the swords through the air to the right, burying both in a tree on the edge of the clearing ten feet away.

"Begin."

Ameyuri didn't expect Jin to drop into a stance, and her expectation was proven correct as Jin immediately began running toward her as fast as he could.

She was sure that for Jin, he was moving rather quickly. For her, however, it felt like a century passed before Jin finally drew near enough to be able to touch her. She made a mental note to work on Jin's speed.

Jin jumped as he drew near, and she stepped to the side, easily evading his attempt to hit her. She watched as Jin flew by, unable to stop in midair. She hadn't been in a fight with a civilian since... well ever really. It was surprising how slowly civilians lived their lives.

Surprisingly, Jin managed to recover his balance rather quickly for a civilian and turn around to come racing toward her again.

The pattern continued for a few minutes.

Jin would run as fast as he could and swing wildly in hopes of just touching her, and she would stay just out of reach.

It was apparent that Jin was beginning to become infuriated with the fruitlessness of his efforts, but for her, it was informative.

Ameyuri was carefully observing his movements, noting things like which leg he favored. The fact that he was right-handed, and that he had an impressive swing for a nine-year-old.

She was surprised as Jin tried to trick her for the first time, pretending to go to the left and then shifting to the right. Of course, there was never any hope of him catching her, but she was impressed nonetheless. Stepping out of the way, she felt her lungs convulse in pain.

Jin came to a stop and turned to look at his sensei as she backed up and leaned against a tree, clutching her chest tightly. He started to walk toward her when she bent over and spit a mouthful of blood on to the muddy marsh-like ground.

"Ameyuri-sensei? A-Are... you okay?" He asked, his voice trailing off. His eyes had been drawn to the pool of blood on the ground. His breathing began to quicken, and he found himself unable to pull away from the sight.

"Jin!"

Shaking his head, Jin looked up at his sensei, who seemed to have recovered.

"I know what you're thinking, Jin. Do not let the memories control you."

He nodded slowly. Jin wasn't sure what Ameyuri meant, but he would try his best anyway. He was about to mention the blood on Ameyuri's chin when she wiped it away.

"Now, you said your father had you practice Ninjutsu earlier. I want you to use what you know now." Ameyuri instructed as she walked to the tree trunk in the middle of the clearing. The sun was now higher in the sky, so the fog was darker now than it had been before.

"Okay," Jin said, his tone serious. Ameyuri looked over at him in interest. It seemed Ninjutsu was a serious matter for the young boy.

"Good. The goal is the same. Hit me in any way you can."

Jin nodded, his hands held in front of him, ready to form seals.

"Begin."

Jin crouched and immediately began going through hand seals. She recognized it as a low-level water jutsu. It wouldn't be a threat to her, so she let him finish the seals.

**"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)!"** Jin yelled before lifting his hand to his mouth to direct the sudden flow of water that spewed forth.

Ameyuri darted away, coming to a stop at the edge of the Jutsu's range. She watched it harmlessly roar past her and crash against a tree. She was surprised as the Jutsu continued to shoot by, despite it having missed.

She started to wonder if Jin realized he'd missed when the Jutsu _moved._

Backing up instantly, she lithely moved out of the way of the Jutsu as it changed directions.

_He's already able to aim the jutsu, and he's kept it up for so long. That's astonishing, _Ameyuri thought.

Eventually, though, the wave of water did fade away as Jin released his control of the Jutsu. She looked over at him to see him panting heavily as he tried to regain his breath.

"What else do you have, Jin Arashi?" She asked, and Jin quickly drew himself up, pulling more energy together.

Ameyuri watched with interest as Jin once more began running toward her, but this time doing his best to form hand-seals as he did so.

He finished the Jutsu half-way and skidded to a stop on the muddy ground.

Bringing his hands up to his mouth again, Jin yelled out the name of his Jutsu.

**"Taiton: Suraisu Mizu (Typhoon Release: Slicing Water)!"**

* * *

6 to 12 more chapters are **always available** or in development over at our discord.

The Discord Server code is: **yewTGGX**

New chapters are typically released _every_ week on Thursday.

**Join us to read, comment and contribute to rough drafts, drafts, release candidates and public chapters before they're released elsewhere!**

This chapter was posted on: 2/27/20 (Exactly one week after the previous one)

**Co-authors:**

TheLegendaryOne

**Special thanks to those that helped create this chapter:**

Qibolu  
TheLegendaryOne

**Beta Readers:**

Tensleep  
Qibolu

**OC Creators of OC's in this chapter:**

Jin Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Hikari Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)


	3. Chapter 3: Sickness

**Chapter 3: Sickness**

* * *

Watching his sensei's stance, Jin formed the next seal he needed and felt the chakra click in his mind. Blinking, he realized he'd lost his focus.

Leaning back, he avoided his sensei's strike for his neck. He barely managed to keep his balance as he moved his hands into the next seal.

"Bear."

Letting his weight continue over, Jin kicked off the ground and flipped onto his feet in a crouch.

"Tiger," Jin muttered, finally able to use his hands again, he rolled to the side and felt mud splash across his face. Pushing off the marsh-like ground, he landed on his feet and steadied himself.

Bringing his hands together, he interlocked his fingers.

**"Typhoon Release: Consecutive Bursting Strong Winds!"**

He felt his hair whip across his face, and he was forced to squint his eyes. Barely able to see, he tried to keep control of the Chakra tearing around him, threatening to break away.

Kicking off the ground, Ameyuri propelled herself backward, away from the immediate reach of the Jutsu. She watched as blades of water and wind spun to life around Jin, revolving faster and faster, slicing through the soft ground and forming deep grooves.

She waited for Jin to lose control of the Jutsu or use it against her, but neither happened. Jin was clearly struggling to keep control, and she didn't want to try reaching him through the blades.

_This is the longest he's been able to keep control of this Jutsu though, I'm impressed. _Ameyuri thought as she backed up another dozen feet. If Jin suddenly lost control of the Jutsu, the blades would fly off in random directions, and she wanted to have time to dodge.

Seeing Jin staring directly at her, Ameyuri tensed slightly. As she thought, Jin had finally gotten control over the Jutsu. Seconds passed, and Jin separated his hands.

_He lost control,_ Ameyuri realized. Despite that, four of the wind blades were flying toward her. Most of them had missed, either breaking against the side of trees or burying themselves in the ground.

Crouching slightly, she sprinted toward the blades and jumped into the air, twisting to the side. Now parallel with the ground, she narrowly slid between the first two and dropped beneath the third.

Landing on her feet, she quickly hopped over the last one and heard them crash into trees behind her a moment later. Ameyuri was pleasantly surprised as Jin took the opening to gain ground.

Now the one forced to dodge a direct strike, she leaned back, her head only a foot from the ground as Jin's flying kick passed over-head.

Jin landed, prepared to slide a few feet in the mud, and successfully kept his balance. Ameyuri had taught him that fighting in the Land of Wind's unique climate was a difficult skill to learn. It didn't seem like much, but a slip in the mud had killed many foreign invaders.

Seeing his Sensei spin around on her hands, her foot coming around to kick him in the head, Jin tried to move away. Slipping, he desperately forced chakra into the ground through his feet, giving him enough traction to throw himself out of the way.

Flailing wildly through the air, Jin crashed face-first into the mud.

_I'm so going to get lectured for this,_ Jin thought as he pushed himself up to his feet. Looking at himself, he realized he'd soaked himself entirely in the mud. Wiping his eyes as best as he could, he was relieved to see his Sensei standing still.

A large glob of mud fell to the ground from his eyelash, and Ameyuri's hands were no longer obscured from view. He started to call for a time out when Ameyuri crouched and punched the ground, burying her fist in the mud.

Recognizing the action, Jin tried to jump as quickly and as high as he could. Lightning discharged out of Ameyuri's fist, flickering across the ground at a nearly imperceptible speed.

Jin watched helplessly as he reached the peak of his jump and began to descend. Jin prepared himself the best he could, praying that his Sensei would release her control of the Jutsu before he touched the ground.

She didn't.

Screaming in pain, Jin fell to his knees as lightning arced across his body. He felt his arms and legs jerk wildly, unable to keep them under control through the searing pain.

Then it was over, the lightning faded away, and he took a massive gulp of air. Rolling over immediately, he spat mud and bits of twigs and leaves out of his mouth.

After taking a moment to regain his breath, Jin wiped the mud off his face and stood up. Turning toward his Sensei, his eyes widened as he saw her pale white face.

As he ran to her side, she jerked forward, like someone had hit her in the back, and fell to her knees.

Jin bit his lip as Ameyuri spasmed, eventually throwing up on the ground. He grimaced as the thick, almost black blood pooled together in a puddle.

Crouching down beside her, Jin watched helplessly as his Sensei struggled to get herself under control. He listened to her heavy breathing, unsure whether or not she'd want him to get help.

It had taken him a month to realize that his Sensei was dying, and afterward, he'd been hyper-aware of her situation. It was progressively getting worse with every passing day. Ameyuri had reluctantly told him that the doctor didn't know exactly how long she had left to live.

"Thank you... Jin... we... we are done for today..." Ameyuri said slowly, breathing heavily as she held her chest. Jin covered his face as his Sensei exploded into bright lightning, vanishing.

Getting to his feet, Jin rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the bright spots in his vision. He groaned in annoyance as he saw the state of his clothes. Shaking his head, he resigned himself to his fate and formed a seal with his hands.

It was cold, freezing even. The sensation started with Jin's feet as pure water, charged with his chakra, began to flow up his legs. As it reached his waist, he almost broke the seal.

A few moments later, though, and it was over. Jin's clothes were cleaned and only lightly damp. Most of the water had been sucked away by his chakra.

_It's not as graceful as Ameyuri-sensei's way of cleaning her clothes, but it works, _Jin thought, shuddering. Turning toward the camp, he started walking toward it. Training had once again been cut short, so he might as well check in on Hikari.

As he walked through the forest, he found himself wishing he'd been born with an affinity to fire yet again. Because then he wouldn't be so cold all of the time.

Rubbing his arms in a pointless attempt to warm them up, Jin realized he wasn't honest. If he could choose which talents he'd naturally been born with, he would have preferred the skills needed to be a medic-nin. _Though it would still be too late, I wouldn't be skilled enough to save Ameyuri-sensei for years. _Jin thought, o_r possibly ever._

Rubbing his sore arms, Jin sighed. The training sessions had been getting shorter over the last few months, but they were rapidly becoming more intense. Ameyuri was expecting more and more of him as time went on. As much as he hated some of the training, he knew he had to do it. He was going to be called into the civil war eventually. He was possibly one of the last Typhoon users in the world if Hikari didn't have it. There was no way to tell yet.

_It's possible others survived the attack…_ Jin shook his head. He couldn't let himself hope for that. Ameyuri had given him his time to grieve, she wouldn't tolerate him becoming a cry baby again.

Reaching the edge of the rebel encampment, Jin made his way through the multitude of tents. He had to pause occasionally to let Shinobi past. Some were carrying things, or just in a rush. Even though he'd been here for a long time, he still wasn't sure what happened in the camp most of the time. Also, because of the unsteady land, no buildings had been built.

Jin had asked Ameyuri why the Rebel Leader didn't have the camp moved, and she explained that the encampment was very tactically placed. He didn't really understand, but apparently giving this spot up to the corrupt Mizukage would be bad.

Seeing the massive tent of the Rebel Leader ahead of him, Jin picked up his pace. Ameyuri's tent was just beyond it.

As he drew nearer, he was once again impressed by the size of the tent. It was several times larger than any of the others. He'd passed by it hundreds of times, and despite that, had only ever seen the Rebel Leader twice.

Ameyuri had told him her name was Mei, and she was the clan head for the Terumi clan. As well as one of the few people in the Elemental Nations who possessed two Kekkai Genkai at once.

He'd asked Ameyuri if Mei was stronger than her once, and Ameyuri had just laughed. The answer was yes, apparently.

Passing in front of the tent, Jin stopped in shock.

Standing outside the entrance, like a guard, was a man Jin had never seen before. Their long white hair had been what surprised him. They didn't look old at all. The other thing was their eyebrows, instead of normal ones, they had two red circles above their eyes.

The realization hit suddenly as Jin recognized who he was looking at. _It's the Kaguya clan,_ Jin thought, _Is Kimimaro here?_

As if hearing his name, the tent flap was pushed aside, and a young boy walked out. Jin smiled, it was Kimimaro, though he was older now, probably four or five.

Walking over quickly, Jin called to Kimimaro, who was talking to the Kaguya guard. He waved as the boy turned to see who it was.

"Jin!" Kimimaro shouted in excitement, running toward him. Kneeling down, Jin braced as Kimimaro crashed into him in a hug.

He laughed as Kimimaro recoiled just as quickly, a look of disgust on his face.

"You're wet!"

He laughed again, "Yes, I am. I'm happy to see you again, Kimimaro-sama, but what are you doing here?"

"Shoin-sama is attending an emergency meeting called by Mei-sama." The Kaguya clan member said, having followed Kimimaro over. "The Mizukage has attacked two more islands to the north of Kiri."

Kimimaro seemed annoyed that his clan member had cut him off, but Jin was curious.

"What islands, Kaguya-san?" Jin asked.

"Tsunoshima and Chiburjima."

Jin was about to ask another question when Kimimaro tugged on his sleeve, reminding him that he existed. Jin blinked and turned to the young boy.

Kimimaro looked very similar to his clan member. At a young age, his eyebrows had been plucked, and he was given the religious red circles all Kaguya's had. Additionally, Kimimaro's hair was pure white like the rest of his clan. His most prominent distinction was his bright green eyes, a rare trait in the family, according to the boy himself.

"Yes, sorry, Kimimaro-sama. What did you want to say?"

Kimimaro was silently for a moment, looking down at Jin's feet before looking him in the face again. "You're taller… how did you do that?"

Jin smiled. He'd met Kimimaro when he'd gone with his father to a special meeting in Kiri two years ago, the young boy had asked lots of weird questions then as well. It seemed like nothing had changed.

"I've been training with Ringo-sama, one of the Legendary Swordsmen. That might be why." Jin explained, laughing at Kimimaro's curious expression.

"You can fight?" Kimimaro asked. Jin nodded slowly, confused by the eager look on Kimimaro's face.

Jin was distracted from answering as the tent entrance opened. Recognizing who it was, he got to his feet and bowed as deeply as he could. His father had beaten it into his head before he attended any meeting with Shoin, the leader of the Kaguya Clan, that Jin should always respect him.

Shoin nodded in acknowledgment and leaned down to pick up Kimimaro, holding him in the crook of his arm. Kimimaro didn't seem to have a problem with being picked up.

"Tou-san, it's Jin!" Kimimaro said, pointing at Jin, "you remember, right?"

Shoin nodded, his grey eyes turning to focus on Jin. "Jin Arashi… My condolences for your family and your village. What happened should never have happened."

Jin bowed again and thanked Shoin before saying goodbye to Kimimaro and turning to leave. Kimimaro waved after him.

—

Finally, making it to his destination, Jin pushed through the hanging beads that acted as a door for the tent. Hikari and her new friend, Ruka, both of who were sitting on the floor, had made the beads a few months ago. Ruka was currently busy braiding Hikari's hair as his sister tried to stay still.

Seeing him enter, Hikari moved to stand up, but Ruka grabbed her shoulder and held her down, one hand still tangled in Hikari's hair.

"Hey, Niisan!" Hikari called, and he smiled. He waited as Ruka got to her feet, having finished Hikari's hair.

"I'll be back later, Hikari-chan," Ruka said. Nodding to Jin as she walked by, she pushed through the hanging beads and out into the misty sunlight.

Walking up to Hikari, who was fiddling with the flowers in her lap, he patted her head.

"Stop that! You're gonna mess up my hair. Ruka-chan just finished it."

Jin laughed and sat down by his sister. He realized she was trying to make a crown out of the flowers as sitting on the floor next to her was a finished crown, made of water lilies.

Setting down the flowers in her hands, Hikari picked up the crown and put it on Jin's head.

"So, what'd you do today, Nii-san?" Hikari asked as she once again picked up the flowers in her lap. Jin carefully adjusted the crown on his head.

"Just the usual with Ameyuri. She beats me up, and I try to not get as beat up as last time." Jin said, and Hikari looked at him disapprovingly. "

"You said you were gonna beat her this time." She accused, and Jin pretended to be offended.

"I almost beat her, though," He said defensively, "I swear!"

Hikari giggled, "you say that every time, Nii-san."

He just shook his head in defeat, and Hikari laughed.

"Anyway, when are Tou-san and Kaa-san coming? It's been a long time since I saw Kaa-san." Hikari said, suddenly quiet as she fidgeted with the flower in her hand.

Jin frowned, uncertainly flooding back. Hikari had been asking this question more often as the days passed, and he'd been unable to bring himself to tell her the truth.

Surprisingly, despite her having seen the devastation of their village, she hadn't figured out what it meant.

"Soon," Jin replied, and quickly picked up a water lily. "So teach me how to make these flower crowns. We should make one for Ameyuri-sensei."

Hikari agreed excitedly and picked up a bunch of flowers, "Ok so, we start with some ninja wire Ruka-chan gave me and wrap it around your head. Then we cut it and tie the end."

Jin wrapped some of the wire around his head, then made the rough circle slightly bigger. Ameyuri's head was larger than his after all.

"Now wrap some stems around the wire, and then we…"

Jin smiled, watching Hikari sort through the flowers as she decided which ones she wanted to put in the crown. _She's all the family I have left. We were a happy family just a little bit ago. Now it's only us. All because the Mizukage had to start a war. I don't even know why he did it…_ Jin thought, feeling his eyes begin to water.

Leaning over, Jin pulled his sister to him and hugged her. He kept his face out of her view, clenching his eyes shut as he fought back the tears. After a few moments, he felt his sister squirming and let her go.

"Nii-san… You stink. Go take a bath before we make a crown for Ameyuri-chan." Hikari said.

Jin smiled and got to his feet, wiping away a rogue tear quickly before patting her head and walking away. Hikari tried to slap at him but missed.

* * *

6 to 12 more chapters are **always available** or in development over at our discord.

The Discord Server code is: **yewTGGX**

New chapters are typically released _every_ week on Thursday.

**Join us to read, comment and contribute to rough drafts, drafts, release candidates and public chapters before they're released elsewhere!**

This chapter was posted on: DATE HERE (Exactly one week after the previous one)  
_Chugging along mates._

**Co-authors:**

TheLegendaryOne

**Special thanks to those that helped create this chapter:**

Qibolu  
TheLegendaryOne

**Beta Readers:**

Qibolu

**OC Creators of OC's in this chapter:**

Jin Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Hikari Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)


	4. Chapter 4: First Mission

**Chapter 4: First Mission**

* * *

Evading Jin's punch, Ameyuri slapped his wrist to the side and moved inside Jin's guard.

Leaping back, Jin struggled to protect himself against his Sensei's onslaught of strikes. Her superior speed made him barely able to defend himself, let alone strike back. Retaliating was the last thought on his mind as Ameyuri continued to push him back across the training field.

Inevitably, Ameyuri broke through completely and landed a solid hit to his chest. He stumbled backward, desperately trying to catch his balance and get air back in his lungs.

He tried to keep his Sensei in view, but she vanished into thin air. Feeling a hand on his ankle, Jin gave up on regaining his balance and fell into gravity's pull.

Ameyuri flung Jin into the air by his ankle and calmly watched him successfully righten himself in mid-air and land on his feet.

"Very good," Ameyuri said as Jin shifted into the protective stance of the Taijutsu she'd taught him. Switching her weight to her back foot, she twisted out of Jin's attack.

Keeping her momentum, Ameyuri flipped over Jin and grabbed his wrist, pulling it up behind his shoulder blade. Jin winced but didn't make a sound.

"That's enough for now."

Letting go of his wrist, she pushed him away. Jin quickly caught himself and turned around, rubbing his shoulder. As soon as he saw Ameyuri's serious expression, Jin turned away.

Ameyuri frowned, folding her arms in front of her.

"I accepted your request to spar today, Jin…"

Jin nodded silently, still looking away.

"You can't keep avoiding it."

She noticed Jin's fist clench, but he didn't say anything.

"You have to join the Rebellion… They need everyone they can get, and someone like you, with a powerful Kekkai Genkai, is invaluable. You need to help them." Ameyuri said evenly. Jin finally turned to look at her, and she immediately noticed the anger in his eyes.

"I don't want to leave Hikari, Ameyuri!" Jin said. He wasn't shouting, but he certainly wasn't calm either. "What if something were to happen while I was gone? I need to be here for her to make sure she's safe. I'm all the family she has left! "

Ameyuri remained silent as Jin looked down at the ground.

"She is everything… I can't lose her…"

Ameyuri sighed, unfolding her arms as she walked up to her student and crouched down in front of him. Tentatively putting her hands on each of his shoulders, she tried to look him in the eyes, but he avoided her gaze.

"I'm here, Jin. I'm one of the strongest Shinobi in this camp, and I would die before I would let anyone ever hurt Hikari," Ameyuri whispered quietly, just loud enough for Jin to hear her.

Jin bit his lip.

Breathing deeply, he lifted his head and finally looked his Sensei in the eyes. He saw the look of concern in her usually hard coal-black eyes, and the indecision plaguing his mind increased tenfold.

Drawing himself up, Jin sighed.

"You're growing weaker every day, Sensei. I don't want you to die, but…" Jin trailed off.

Seeing the hurt in Ameyuri's eyes, Jin quickly tried to backtrack. "I didn't mean it like that! I just… I…"

Jin felt like crying as Ameyuri stood up, pulling her hands away. He didn't know what to do. Ever since he'd been asked to join the Rebellion, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. Ameyuri was going to die soon, they both knew that. He'd accepted it.

The problem was that there would be no one to look after Hikari if he was in the Rebellion.

"You're right."

Jin winced at his Sensei's tone, wishing he hadn't said anything.

"I am getting weaker," Ameyuri said slowly, almost sadly, "but my point still stands."

Jin nodded, not able to bring himself to look at his Sensei.

"You need to help end this war. The quicker it ends, the sooner you won't have to worry about Hikari being hurt because of it. What's more, what if the Rebellion loses the war, Jin? What will you do then? Will you fight and protect her alone, with no one to fight alongside you?" Ameyuri asked. Jin didn't know how to answer.

"If you're going to protect Hikari, you need experience. Especially if the Rebellion falls, you're going to be a target, even if you and Hikari somehow got out of the Land of Water. It's a dangerous world." Ameyuri said, sighing. "You have to be strong enough to survive anywhere, and this is the best option."

Jin watched as his Sensei walked over to the stump in the center of the training field and sat down.

"Jin… the Loyalists most likely know you're still alive. The fact that you're my student is common gossip here in the Rebel camp, and I assure you at least one spy has heard about you." Ameyuri shook her head, wincing slightly as the unending pain in her chest flared once more.

"What if I die? Who will look after Hikari then? Isn't it better if I just protect Hikari? At least I'm strong enough to do that." Jin said, frustration constricting his throat.

He saw Ameyuri vanish from her spot on the stump, but the information didn't process until after he was soaring through the air. He managed to catch himself, and immediately clutched the side of his head, trying to lessen the intense pain.

"You are nothing, Jin."

Anger flaring within him, Jim jumped to his feet, his glare meeting Ameyuri's sharp black eyes.

"Yes, I've trained you for a year now, and you have a Kekkai Genkai." Ameyuri stated coldly, "However, you are weak. I could have killed you right now. If you lose track of your surroundings for even a second, Hikari is alone. She will never know what happened to you."

Jin got to his feet, his jaw tight as he tried to keep his anger under control.

"Then why should I join the Rebellion? If I'm weak, should I not continue to get stronger so that I can protect Hikari?!"

Ameyuri nodded, and Jin felt his stomach sink abruptly.

"You will get stronger by joining the Rebellion... because I am no longer your Sensei."

Even though the intense flash of lightning hurt his eyes, Jin didn't look away. He couldn't. For the next several minutes, he was powerless to move.

—

"Is that everything?"

Seeing the Kunoichi nod, Ganryu leaned over and marked the mission scroll as accepted. Rolling it up, he handed it to the Kunoichi.

"What is it, boss?" Suiren asked, seeing Ganryu staring over her shoulder. Turning around, she quickly realized what had diverted Ganryu's attention.

Walking toward the tent was Jin Arashi, the student of Ameyuri Ringo, one of the Legendary Swordsmen. She'd personally never seen the kid before, as she was rarely at camp, but she'd heard of him. The boy was apparently the last Typhoon user in existence unless his sister had the Kekkai Genkai.

She felt terrible for the lad, of course. His homeland's story was known all throughout the Land of Water. Shikoku Island, the homeland of the Arashi Clan, and the first island the corrupt Mizukage had attacked. All of the clan had reportedly died defending their home, and the only known survivors had been Jin and his sister.

"He seems to be coming here…" Suiren stated though she was more asking Ganryu than anything else.

"Yeah, he is," Ganryu sighed, straightening his jacket, "Can you wait up for a second? If he's here because of what I think he is, then you might have a new member to your team."

Noticing the boy stopping as he waited for several teams of quick response Shinobi to jog by, she turned and looked at Ganryu in surprise.

"He's actually joining the Rebellion Force?"

Ganryu finished pulling out the registration papers from a small cabinet sitting on the table and laid them on the weathered surface.

"We're about to see," he replied, gesturing behind her.

Turning to look, she saw Jin had reached them and moved out of the young boy's way as he walked up beside her to the mission table.

"Ganryu-san, I'm here to register for the Rebellion Force."

Despite the young boy's steady voice, Suiren could see he was nervous, emotional even. She could see the slight tells that the boy had been crying. _Why would he have been crying?_

"Very good," Ganryu replied, and pushed the registration forms across the table. Suiren knew that the words on the papers really meant nothing more than swearing allegiance to Mei Terumi and that she wasn't responsible if he died.

The papers were useless, in her opinion. Who was going to claim Mei-sama was responsible for the horror of this civil war anyway?

As Jin finished signing the papers, Suiren noticed Ganryu creating the hand sign for 'hey' out of Jin's sight.

'what?' She signed in return.

'Despite your team's mission having potential danger, it's the least dangerous one I have right now.' Ganyru signed quickly, noticing that Jin was almost done with the papers.

Suiren raised an eyebrow. 'You want him to come with us?'

Ganryu nodded.

She thought about it, staring at Jin as she weighed the choice in her mind.

'I'll accept that.'

Ganryu thanked her silently and accepted the filled out registration forms from Jin before slipping them into his cabinet.

"Alright Jin, I'm going to send you on a mission immediately here with Surien-san."

At Ganryu's words, Jin turned and looked at her. She was surprised to see him obviously size her up, Ameyuri had trained him to see everyone as an enemy it seemed. That was good. However, he would need to be taught to be more discrete about it.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jin Arashi," Suiren said, holding out her hand, which Jin took. Ganryu's cough made Jin turn back and look at the Jounin Captain.

In Ganryu's hand was a forehead protector for the Land of Water, the metal was stitched into solid black cloth. Jin thanked the Jounin and took the protector. Placing it on his forehead, he tied the fabric together and adjusted his hair. He was officially a Shinobi now, and in war, Genin, Chunin, and Jounin ranks didn't really matter.

Suiren hadn't seen the boy fight yet, but based on the fact he'd been taught by Ringo-sama, he was probably at least Chūnin. If they both survived this war, she'd be curious to see what he'd be promoted too.

"Alright, Jin, my team and I are leaving in an hour. We will be gone for a day or two. The assignment is a low-risk transportation mission to retrieve supplies from Teuri Island and bring them to a camp on Honshu Island."

Jin nodded.

"Go get supplies together, and meet us on the south side of the camp. Understood?"

"Hai, Suiren-sama."

She watched Jin disappear into the crowd before sighing and shaking her head.

"I hate war, I really do," Suiren said, and Ganyru sighed in agreement.

War was the worst, even though kids became Shinobi even when there wasn't a war, at least they got proper training, and were twelve years old by then.

The Shinobi world indeed was shitty.

"Talk to you later, Ganryu," Suiren said as she turned and left.

Making her way through camp, she reached the circle of tents that belonged to her team. Positioned perfectly in the center was a smoldering campfire, around which her entire team was gathered. Each was ready to move at a moment's notice.

"We get the transportation mission?" Hitode, a balding Shinobi with black hair and dark-colored eyes, asked.

Suiren nodded and sat down on one of the large logs placed around the fire.

"There's more to it than that," Kajika prompted, looking at Suiren suspiciously.

Picking the wineskin up off the log next to her, Suiren took a long swig before setting it down and wiping her mouth.

"Jin Arashi has joined the Rebellion Force and was assigned to our team for this mission."

Hitode whistled in surprise, "Is that really a good idea? We wanted this mission because it was marked as low-risk, and we've barely survived the last couple of missions. However, I think we all know this mission could go south really quickly."

Unmo, the fourth member of the team and the quietest one, spoke up before Suiren could.

"He got assigned to our team... because we're the team taking the first low-risk mission in several months."

Suiren motioned toward Unmo with the wineskin in agreement.

An hour passed in relative silence before they all got up, stamped out the fire, and grabbed their packs. They would meet up with Jin on the south side of the Rebel Camp.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the edge of the camp, and Suiren immediately spotted the young Arashi sitting under a tree at the edge of the forest. Calling his name seemed to wake him up, and he grabbed the backpack next to him before hurrying over.

"How long have you been there?" Suiren inquired.

"Just for a little bit," Jin replied.

She could tell he was lying, but the truth wasn't worth learning. It was none of her business.

"Before we leave, let's introduce ourselves. I'll go first." Suiren said, "I'm Suiren, the fastest out of the four of us."

"Names, Kajika kid, don't forget it," Kajika said, shaking Jin's hand.

"I'm Hitode."

"Unmo Samidare."

Jin shook Unmo's offered hand as well and realized it was his turn to introduce himself.

"My name is—"

Kajika laughed, "We know who you are, kid, the only student of the Legendary Ameyuri Ringo, who's the first and only female in the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. The master of the Kiba blades."

Noticing Suiren's look, Kajika stopped, realizing he was getting off point.

"Don't worry about it, Jin," Suiren said, noticing that Jin seemed unsure what to do. "You're pretty well known in the Rebel Camp, Ringo-sama has never had an apprentice or student in the past."

Jin nodded.

"Let's get moving, everyone!"

**Teuri Island, Land of Water, EN.**

Teuri Island was only a few hours boat ride from Mitsukejima Island, the home of the Rebel Base.

Upon arriving at their destination, Jin leaped off the side of the boat with his new team members and landed on the angry waters. Ameyuri had taught him to walk on water, and it had been one of the most natural things he had learned.

The boat immediately turned around and sailed back out to sea, where it would wait for several hours before returning.

Teuri island was under Rebel control and hadn't been attacked by the Loyalists, yet. That could change at any moment.

Jin followed Suiren closely as she sprinted across the surface of the water. It had started raining an hour ago, and an intense storm had quickly followed.

Because of this, the surface of the water had become unwieldy, and they hurried to get to land. Jin only saw the beach when they were thirty feet away. The heavy rain diminished the already low visibility even more.

Once they reached the cover of the trees, the team came to a stop.

"We going along the beach or through the island?" Kajika shouted, struggling to be heard over the thunder and the pounding of the rain.

Jin watched Suiren rapidly create several hand signs to Kajika, and the black-haired Shinobi nod in response. He realized he needed to learn sign language.

However, the command for 'follow me,' was evident as Suiren gestured to them all. It seemed they would be going through the island as Jin followed his team deeper into the forest. As they ran across the muddy ground, frequently using bursts of chakra to keep their footing stable, Jin tried to keep his senses open for enemies.

Ameyuri had drilled it into his head that he could _never_ rely on his ears or eyes in a place like the Land of Water. A Shinobi splashing in the water sounded the same as anything else splashing in the puddles. One's eyes were just as worthless, as it was almost always impossible to see much farther than a couple dozen feet with the thick mist.

So far, he'd sensed nothing, but he'd done his best to memorize the feel of his teammates chakra.

An hour of travel later, and Suiren made the gesture to halt. He was embarrassed to be the only one to skid slightly on the mud as he stopped. He hadn't expected the order.

Suiren once again made a complicated series of hand-signs, and Kajika and Unmo nodded in return. Jin struggled to see the two Shinobi as they moved to the left and right, quickly disappearing in the heavy rain. He wiped his face, trying to clear his vision.

He could sense Kajika and Unmo ahead of them, and when they suddenly started to head back toward them, Jin caught himself before he called out the information. He was an idiot. If he could sense his teammates, then Suiren and Hitode certainly could.

Kajika came into view first and signed something at Suiren before Unmo appeared. Jin, still unsure what was happening, followed his team through the misty rain for several silent minutes.

After a few minutes, a small dock came into view.

The dock jutted out about a dozen feet into a rushing river, which probably flowed out to the ocean. Jin's attention was quickly drawn to a wooden crate bobbing in the water, attached to the dock by a rope.

Suiren gestured for Hitode to follow her, and the two stepped out carefully onto the dock.

As they hauled the crate closer to the dock, Hitode got down on his hands and knees and placed his hand on the side of the container. Jin was confused and then surprised as Hitode hauled the box out of the water and set it on the dock.

_He used chakra to stick his hand to it,_ Jin thought in amazement. It made sense; it was how tree climbing worked, just used through the palm.

"All good?" Kajika whispered loudly, and Suiren nodded as she and Hitode carried the box onto land.

"Yeah. We need to get back to the beach quickly. I don't want to stay on this island any longer than necessary. The fact that there was no one here watching the cargo is concerning."

Jin tried to sense any enemies nearby, realizing he'd forgotten to stay vigilant. He sighed in relief internally as nothing showed up.

Unmo and Kajika took the crate, each holding onto the rope handles attached to each side, and the team turned around.

Their progress was slowed by Kajika and Unmo, but they were still moving quickly through the willowy trees that made up most of the foliage in the Land of Water. As they sprinted across the muddy ground, broken frequently by large puddles of rain, Jin felt the tension in his shoulders fade away. Ever since they'd stepped foot on the boat, he'd been terrified that they were going to be attacked.

But, they had the cargo; they just had to bring it to the camp, and the mission would be over.

_Then I can go and see Hikari again, _Jin realized. _I should have said goodbye to her before I left… but I didn't want to run into Ameyuri-sen… Ameyuri-sama._

Shaking his head, Jin wiped his face with both hands, brushing water droplets free and out of his eyes.

Behind him and Surien was unmo and Kajika, bringing up the rear. Leading the way was Hitode. Jin was glad Hitode seemed to know where they were going because everything looked the same to him. The thick mist and rain made it even worse, anything father than thirty feet away was utterly invisible.

If he was out alone in rain this heavy, he wouldn't be confident to move this quickly. Jin was sure he'd run face-first into a tree.

"Hitode, look out!"

Jin looked at Suiren and saw the look of fear on her face for a split second before he went soaring through the air in the opposite direction.

His ears rang loudly, and he could only think that his chest felt like Ameyuri had kicked him as hard as she could. He realized he could hear the familiar sound of wind roaring in his ears... and then he crashed into the ground

Jin groaned as he slid across the mud, eventually coming to a stop as he abruptly hit a tree.

Jin didn't think he could move, but his need to breathe eventually forced him to his hands and knees as he pushed himself out of a large pool of muddy water. His back and chest were screaming at him in pain, and he barely noticed the water around his hands becoming red.

Reaching up and touching his forehead, Jin realized he was bleeding.

_No… this isn't mine…_ Jin thought. A chunk of bloody, muddy flesh, charred against the fabric, bobbed out of the water a foot away from him. _What happened..._

Slowly getting to his feet, Jin shook his head as the ringing in his ears dulled. Blinking repeatedly, Jin tried to get to his feet.

Hearing the sound of metal clashing against metal, Jin turned toward it and slowly stumbled toward the nose, his feet on acting on their own. He wasn't sure why he was heading toward the danger, but… he needed to help.

He sensed someone just before they landed in front of him and stumbled backward abruptly. He immediately realized he didn't recognize them…

As another unknown Shinobi dropped out of the tree to his left, Jin changed directions and continued moving backward, trying to keep both in view.

His foot caught on something underneath the water, and he tripped, catching himself with his hands.

Jin's eyes widened as the Shinobi to his left laughed and threw a Kunai at him. Jin lifted his arms instincually, covering his face.

Hearing something splash in the water next to him, Jin rolled away from it and quickly got to his feet. Jin stared at the handle of the Kunai that had missed him in shock.

"They brought a child on this mission, what idiots," one of the Shinobi said. Jin turned back toward them, trying to remember something... anything that would help him.

That was when he noticed the headbands they each wore, both had the same symbol as the Rebels did, which was why he hadn't immediately realized they were enemies. They looked like Shinobi from the Rebel camp.

Backing up slowly, Jin tried to watch both of them as carefully as he could at the same time. The rain was still pouring, and he forced chakra through the soles of his feet, steadying himself.

A loud crack caused the Shinobi to look off to the right, and Jin realized it sounded like a tree had snapped in half.

"You deal with him Tao, I'm gonna go help those idiots." One of the Shinobi said before sprinting out of view in the mist.

Jin focused on the Shinobi, now walking toward him, an excited look on their face. Trying to get his panicked breathing under control, Jin saw Tao move his arm.

Throwing himself to the side, Jin narrowly avoided the Kunai and rolled across the ground. Getting to his feet as swiftly as he could, Jin whirled around and froze

"Good, you're still alive." Suiren panted, a bloodied katana in her right hand. Jin barely even registered she was there.

He couldn't pull himself away from staring at the body at his feet, watching blood spurt out of the spot where their head should have been.

The blood began to merge with the water, rapidly darkening it.

"Pull yourself together, Jin!" Suiren shouted in his ear, causing him to flinch and look at her. "Run to the ship, now!"

Jin nodded with wide eyes and sprinted toward the direction she was pointing.

He'd barely made it a dozen feet before hearing Suiren scream in pain behind him. Twisting around sharply, Jin saw Suiren rip a shuriken out of her shoulder and skillfully chuck it back into the trees above her.

From where he was standing, Jin could see a Shinobi hiding in the branches above Suiren. Jin's eyes widened as he realized Surien didn't see them, as she was fighting another Shinobi he couldn't see in the mist.

_They're gonna kill her,_ Jin realized.

Shakily drawing a Kunai from his pouch, Jin tightened his grip and began to flow chakra into the weapon. He felt like his vision shrank as he waited for the Shinobi in the trees to stop moving.

Taking a sharp step forward, Jin threw the Kunai with all the strength he could muster.

* * *

6 to 12 more chapters are **always available** or in development over at our discord.

The Discord Server code is: **yewTGGX**

New chapters are typically released _every_ week on Thursday.

**Join us to read, comment and contribute to rough drafts, drafts, release candidates and public chapters before they're released elsewhere!**

This chapter was posted on: 3/12/20 (Exactly one week after the previous one)  
_We're late on this one, but its still thursday!_

**Co-authors:**

TheLegendaryOne

**Special thanks to those that helped create this chapter:**

Qibolu  
TheLegendaryOne

**Beta Readers:**

Tensleep  
Qibolu

**OC Creators of OC's in this chapter:**

Jin Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Hikari Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)


	5. Chapter 5: Childish Anger

**Chapter 5: Childish Anger  
**

* * *

The realization of what he'd done only hit home when the body crashed to the ground with a sickening thud, the muddy water splashing up around it.

_I killed someone..._

Jin had thrown the Kunai without thinking, only wanting to protect Suiren. He hadn't thought about it.

Seeing Suiren walk toward him, he tried to say something, an excuse or explanation for his actions. Suiren only nodded in thanks before vanishing in a burst of speed, causing water to shoot up into the air. Jin watched as it came crashing back onto the mud.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Jin turned toward the corpse less than two dozen feet away. With morbid interest, he watched the blood merge with the rainwater.

He'd killed someone… he was a murderer.

Jin had no idea how long he was standing there before something touched his arm.

Whirling around, Jin drew a Kunai and swung wildly.

Suiren leaped back, raising her hands in the air as she evaded Jin's blade.

"Calm down, Jin!" Suiren shouted over the howling storm.

Noticing the boy's empty look, she approached him carefully, realizing he was in shock. "The fight is over, Jin."

She hurriedly gestured to Unmo to freeze as he landed on the ground nearby. He frowned at her in confusion before looking at Jin, who had started to lift his Kunai.

He watched Suiren with a raised eyebrow as she carefully moved toward Jin. It was obvious the boy had lost it, but surely she didn't need to be that careful. After a couple of moments, Suiren got close enough to Jin to slowly pry the Kunai out of his hands and slip it into her own pouch.

"Jin… focus… focus Jin." Suiren whispered loudly, couching down in front of the grey-haired boy and waving her hand in front of his eyes. Jin jerked slightly and lifted his head, looking at her. She could see the terror and agony in his eyes. Jin would be out of it for a while.

"Are you okay, Unmo?" Suiren asked as she stood, and Unmo nodded.

"I took some hits, but nothing too serious."

Suiren untied her headband and adjusted her wet hair before retying it. "We need to move. The mission is a bust, they went for the cargo first."

"Agreed," Unmo replied, rotating his shoulder in an endeavor to lessen the pain. "I'm going to go get Kajika's body, at least we can bury that…"

Suiren nodded, and Unmo walked off, disappearing in the heavy rain. Patting Jin on the shoulder, Suiren surveyed their surroundings. Nearby were two dead Loyalists, submerged in muddy puddles filled with their own blood. Jin had killed one of them, one she hadn't seen. More likely than not, she owed Jin her life. The realization made her chuckle dryly.

_Two dead, on a low-risk mission, of course, this would be the one that got them,_ Suiren thought sadly. She and her team had successfully completed high-risk mission after mission. Many times they'd all come precariously close to dying, but they'd done it.

Now, Hitode and Kajika were dead. She hadn't seen Kajika die, but she'd seen Hitode step on an explosion tag at point-blank range. He'd been little more than bits and pieces in less than a millisecond.

Spotting Unmo returning, a body thrown over his shoulder, she tapped Jin on the arm. The boy slowly looked up at her, his blank expression unchanged.

"We have to get moving, Jin."

The boy slowly nodded.

**Karatachi Estate, Kiri City, Hondu Island, Land of Water, EN.**

Adjusting the gold-rimmed glasses on her face, Azami Karatachi waited for the servants to set the table. She didn't move until the last servant had poured her wine and left the dining room, shutting the door behind them. Picking up her glass, she raised it to her husband, Kenji Karatachi, in respect, who also did the same.

They both drank deeply before setting the glasses down together and beginning to eat their meal.

Like many first-caste clans in the Land of Water, the Karatachi family was exceedingly rich and powerful. However, they owned more land than any other clan in the country. They'd claimed it shortly after Kiri had been created, and numerous buildings had been constructed, each for various purposes. Similarly to most buildings in Kiri, each was designed in a tall, cylindrical shape, and many had vegetation growing down the sides.

Azami decided to break the silence first. Something was bothering her, and she hadn't brought it up for several days.

"Yagura hasn't come and dined with us in some time… almost two years now."

Kenji nodded thoughtfully, "True, he has been busy waging war against his own people for a while now."

Azami frowned distastefully, "It is surprising he's held the Rebellion back for this long, I was sure they'd reach Kiri a year ago."

"We both thought that. Which is why we prepared to distance ourselves and the Karatachi family from Yagura." Kenji reminded as he sliced off a piece of the steak on his plate.

"Shh."

Kenji looked up at his wife in surprise to see her gesturing toward the dining hall's entrance. Expanding his senses, he was astonished to discover his son's chakra signature heading toward them. Quickly putting another bite of steak in his mouth, he waited for Yagura to reach the doorway.

Neither of them reacted as the doors burst open theatrically, the lock shattering instantly, and the doors slamming against the walls as they lashed around.

Yagura strode into the dining room, pride adorning his every feature. He'd obviously come to tell them something.

Kenji frowned as he noticed Yagura's personal goons, Kushimaru and Jinpachi, two of the Legendary Swordsmen he'd forced into being his bodyguards. Quite a dishonoring role for Shinobi of such caliber and skill. Kenji had honestly expected Kushimaru to kill Yagura as soon as he received the order.

"It is good to see you, Yagura," Azami said civilly, "why are you here, son?"

"I've come to tell you that I will be leaving for a couple of days. I'm going to get something that will end this stupid war, and destroy our enemies." Yagura declared proudly, and Kenji narrowed his eyes. His mind ran through possibilities rapidly, trying to think of what Yagura was talking about.

However, he didn't need to guess as Yagura declared what it was a second later.

"I'm going to force the Six-tail Jinchuriki to join us, and together, we will destroy the rebellion." Yagura said, childish glee in his eyes, "I'm going to make them feel fear that will last into the afterlife!"

Kenji caught the look of concern his wife gave him and sighed. Yagura noticed the transaction, and his eyes narrowed.

"Why are you making that face, Mother? Do you think I cannot do what I say I will do? That I am a liar!?" Yagura yelled, potent killing intent billowing out from him in waves.

Swiftly getting to his feet under the familiar pressure, Kenji walked around the edge of the dining table.

Yagura watched him approach. He wasn't scared of his father, but that didn't mean that his father wasn't a danger to him. He'd seen what the Karatachi Head could do before.

"Yagura…" Kenji said, his voice monotonous, "you are an idiot."

Yagura froze, gawking at his father's cold expression in shock. No one ever insulted him, and those that had in the past were long dead now.

"You are a fool for thinking you will _ever_ be able to force the Six-tails Jinchuriki to do anything, boy!" Kenji shouted, breaking Yagura out of his trance. "Utakata is several times stronger than you'll ever be! He has struggled through and conquered all of the challenges life has put before him, something you know nothing about!"

Azami scoffed as she too, got to her feet, "He is not a moron like you, boy. A failure for a son, who knows only how to flaunt his power, power you do not deserve, to get what you want."

Yagura glared at his mother, anger seething within him as he tightly gripped the staff strapped to his back. The urge to kill his parents was maddening. _How dare they! HOW DARE THEY!_

Drawing on the power of his demon, Yagura released as much Killing Intent as he could manage. The effect was immediate, and he smiled in glee as his parents abruptly collapsed to their knees in front of him, frantically struggling to breathe.

"How dare you call me a failure, I am the Mizukage! You will bow before me!" Yagura screamed, continuing to crush them under the weight of his demon. He barely noticed his two bodyguards on the ground, also struggling to breathe, but he didn't care.

"I DEMAND AN APOLOGY, MOTHER!" Yagura shrieked at Azami, who could barely move, let alone answer him. Yagura cursed as the killing intent was abruptly ripped out of his control. Everyone around him began taking massive breaths in a desperate attempt to get vital oxygen back into their lungs.

_How dare you stop me!_ Yagura yelled into his mind, but the demon didn't answer. It rarely ever did, and when it did, it did only to call him weak and pathetic. He hated it, and he hated his parents.

"I will prove you both wrong…" Yagura spat vilely, "I will come back with the Six-tails, and I will force you to apologize for your words."

Turning around, Yagura stormed down the hall, his two bodyguards quickly following.

Unsteadily getting to his feet, Kenji was forced to catch himself with the table.

Several moments passed as he waited for the dizziness to fade. Once he felt confident enough, he slowly made his way to his wife's side and helped her up into her chair.

"We should have come up with some sort of failsafe to prevent him from being able to do that," Azami commented weakly, still struggling to breathe.

Kenji agreed and promptly lost his grip on the table as his leg gave out. Taking a moment, he got himself under control and made his way over to his chair.

"It's too late now, he's going to do whatever he wants to do," Kenji observed dryly.

Azami chuckled, "If he actually tries to force the Six-tails to join, and doesn't give up like a coward, then we won't have to worry about it anymore."

Having reached his chair, Kenji sat down and took several sips of his wine in an attempt to steady his aging heart.

"Do you think he will succeed?"

Azami shook her head, "Utakata will never join Yagura, and the war hasn't ended yet because Utakata hasn't joined the Rebellion. Out of the two sides, if Utakata was to join one, who do you think he would join?"

Kenji sighed, realizing his wife was right.

"He'd join the Rebellion. However, do you not think that our preparations might need to be revisited? It's been a year since we thought the civil war would end. The Rebellion Leader, Mei Terumi, most likely does not remember our claim that Yagura is acting on his own."

Azami agreed and took another long drink of her wine. It would be several minutes before any of the servants came to check on them. Most were probably dead or unconscious, so she would have to make this wine last until then.

**Mysterious Land, Land of Water, EN.**

Yagura glared at the misty surface of the ocean in distaste. The unending mist was one of the things he hated the most about his country. This was why Wind Style Jutsu were his favorite. They were the only things capable of clearing the mist, if only for a moment.

He quickly found himself once again considering jumping off the side of the ship and running the rest of the way. However, he gave up the idea just as quickly. He'd probably get lost on the surface of the water and eventually run out of chakra before drowning to death.

Their destination was the unnamed land to the east of Kiri, one of the most uninhabitable places in the Elemental Nations, or so he'd heard. Because of this, it had never been officially named, and only one village had been built on it. He'd never seen the town himself, but it was apparently made as close to the beach as possible.

As far as Yagura knew, no other countries had tried to settle on the continent, despite it not being officially claimed by the Land of Water.

However, technically, the land was considered part of the Land of Water. Which was why the Six-tails host was legally allowed to reside here. Why, of course, the Six-tails Jinchuriki would choose to live in such a barren and lifeless place was beyond Yagura.

He'd learned shortly after becoming the Mizukage, that his predecessor had instated a law preventing any of the country's Jinchuriki from leaving without express permission. Surprisingly, Utakata had respected the law. The sly bastard had found a compromise instead.

Yagura sighed in relief as a beach came into view at the edge of the fog. They were finally here.

He didn't bother waiting to dock and leaped over the edge of the ship, landing smoothly on the water below. His bodyguards quickly following as he sprinted toward the rocky beach.

Increasing his impressive sensory range, Yagura searched the entire village for anyone with Shinobi levels of chakra. Despite this village being unaffiliated with his war, he didn't doubt that the rebel scum would try to attack him here anyway.

Upon reaching the village, Yagura spotted a civilian walking toward him, dressed as a fisherman.

"Come here!" Yagura shouted, and his eyes narrowed in anger as the civilian instead turned around and began running away.

Vanishing in a burst of speed, Yagura appeared in front of the civilian, his hand reaching out and gripping the elderly civilian by the throat, lifting them up into the air. He ignored their struggle and desperate attempts to breathe.

"I asked you a question! How dare you ignore your Mizukage!" Yagura roared, increasing the strength of his grip as the man began to struggle less and less.

"Let him go!"

Turning toward the sound, Yagura noticed a young woman walking toward him. He released the man, who promptly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Who are you?" Yagura asked, annoyed.

"Natsu, Lord Mizukage. I assume you are here to talk to Utakata-sama?"

Yagura nodded skeptically, unsettled by the calmness of the civilian woman. Civilians were supposed to be terrified of him, and the fact that this one wasn't profoundly bothered him for some reason.

Natsu pointed toward a mountain beyond the village, "Utakata-sama lives in a cave on the side of that mountain. He told me to inform anyone looking for him where he lives."

"Why would he want you to tell me that?" Yagura asked, suddenly glad that he'd brought his bodyguards.

"Because," Natsu said, smiling, "he wanted me to tell you, or anyone else looking for him, that if you were to kill anyone in this village… He would kill you."

Yagura watched Natsu walk away, unsure how to handle the sudden alarm he was feeling. _It's not my fear, it's the damn demon's..._

Unsure what to do with this realization, Yagura was distracted by Jinpachi next to him.

"I do like me a woman like that," Jinpachi said, watching the annoying female civilian's retreating form. "No fear for the strong. Might need to come back here after this war is over."

Yagura, once again convinced that Jinpachi was a moron, began walking through the village. He could see a trail beyond the town that seemed to head toward the mountain, so he would follow that.

—

As they slowly made their way up the rocky and uneven path, Yagura grew more and more excited. _Once the Six-tails has joined my side, I will force my parents to beg for forgiveness. How dare they doubt me. After that, I'll go straight to the rebel base and wipe it off the face of the planet! All the other islands will fear me, and I will bring everyone back under the Land of Water and my leadership!_

After a half-hour of slow travel, they finally crested a hill, reaching a small clearing that ended at the entrance to a dark cave. Yagura couldn't see through the thick shadows, but he knew Utakata was inside. He could sense him. Eagerly hurrying toward the cave, Yagura didn't immediately notice his bodyguards slow down for a moment, eventually coming to a stop behind him.

Spinning around, Yagura glared at Kushimaru and Jinpachi in anger.

"You two are supposed to be members of the fucking Legendary Swordsmen. Why the fuck are you over there?" Yagura shouted though neither Jinpachi or Kushimaru looked the least bit bothered by his anger. Instead, Kushimaru silently raised his hand and pointed at something behind Yagura.

Yagura froze, realizing Utakata was right behind him. He'd stopped paying attention to his senses for a split second, and Utakata had chosen that instant to move. Gripping the handle of his staff as he whirled around, Yagura quickly backed up several feet.

Utakata looked different from how Yagura had imagined him. The older Jinchuriki was a tall, thin young man with pale golden eyes and brown hair that reached down to his shoulders. His side parting let a large portion of his bangs cover the left side of his face, and he wore a long, light blue kimono adorned with a small emblem of three bubbles on the back. Utakata's kimono hung loose, exposing his chest, and in it, he carried a bamboo jug and a pipe.

"Why are you here, Yagura?" Utukata asked, "why leave your civil war to come to this peaceful village?"

Drawing himself up, Yagura began his somewhat thought out speech.

"As the Fourth Mizukage of the Land of Water, and Kiri of the Hidden Mist, I order you to come back to Kiri and join me in the war against the Rebels. Together, we can easily—"

"Spare me your ramblings, Yagura." Utakata interrupted, "I will not be joining this idiotic war of yours. I will not return to Kiri, no matter what you were to offer me. Leave this place, and fight your war by yourself."

Finished, Utakata turned and began walking back toward his cave. Enraged at Utakata's disrespect, Yagura drew heavily on the pool of his demon's Killing Intent and directed it all at Utakata.

Nothing happened, and Yagura blanched as the Jinchuriki turned around, a look of mild annoyance on his face.

"You are but a mere child who doesn't deserve the power you possess," Utakata stated calmly, seemingly unaffected as Yagura strained to increase his killing intent.

"How dare you!" Yagura screamed, pulling free the staff strapped to his back. "I am the Mizukage, and you will obey my orders!"

Utakata took one step forward, and Yagura was immediately overwhelmed by panic and fear. Flying through hand seals, he brought his hand up to his mouth.

**"Suiton: Suidanha (Water Release: Water Severing Wave)!"**

A stream of high-pressure water shot forth from Yagura's mouth, powerful enough to cut through stone. Yagura watched the Jutsu hit Utakata directly in the chest, and then everything became white.

Leaping back, Yagura landed outside the massive cloud of searing steam, already sweating from the intense heat. _What happened? I saw it hit… did I get him?_

Forming another set of hand seals, Yagura breathed deeply and released a large gust of air at the steam cloud, quickly dispersing it.

Yagura's eyes widened as Utakata was revealed, exactly where he was before. _He's not even wet!_

Utakata was clearly the source of the steam as it continued to form off of his body, rising up into the air around him. The look of disappointment on the older Jinchuriki's face enraged Yagura.

"You are little more than a lost child, Yagura. You do not deserve the things you have, but… you also do not deserve the fate coming to you." Utakata turned and once again began walking toward his cave. "Leave now, don't bother the villagers, and I won't kill you."

Yagura gripped the handle of his staff tightly, almost enough to break it. The rage he was feeling was countered only by the intense sense of terror coursing through his veins. _Damn demon, terrified of this weakling. I could beat him if it wasn't for the Biju being such a coward._

He expected the demon to get annoyed, but they once again remained silent. Gritting his teeth, Yagura attached the staff to his back and turned around. He didn't look at his bodyguards as he walked past them.

_I don't need him! I can win this war without his help, and when I have all the islands under my control, I will come back, and he will bow before me!_

* * *

_6 to 12 more chapters are **always available** or in development over at our discord._

_The Discord Server code is: **yewTGGX**_

_New chapters are typically released _every_ week on Thursday._

_**Join us to read, comment and contribute to rough drafts, drafts, release candidates and public chapters before they're released elsewhere!**_

_This chapter was posted on: 4/19/20 (Exactly one week after the previous one)  
_We hope you enjoyed the chapter!__

_**Co-authors:**_

_TheLegendaryOne_

_**Special thanks to those that helped create this chapter:**_

_Qibolu  
TheLegendaryOne_

_**Beta Readers:**_

_Tensleep  
Qibolu_

_**OC Creators of OC's in this chapter:**_

_Jin Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Hikari Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
_


	6. Chapter 6: Fury & Sorrow

**Chapter 6: Fury & Sorrow**

* * *

"Zabuza-sama, I assume you're here to see…" The medic-nin started, trailing off as Zabuza nodded. "If you'll follow me? She's over here."

Taking care to not step on anything, Zabuza followed the shorter Shinobi through a maze of tents and low tables. Eventually, they came to a stop outside a tent just large enough for him to fit inside if he crouched down. The medic-nin stepped to the side and gestured for him to go inside.

As he started to crouch, he noticed the medic-nin looking at him in concern.

Sighing, Zabuza unclipped his sword and buried it in the ground outside the tent. Finally satisfied, the medic-nin handed him the tent flap, and Zabuza stepped inside the small structure.

"You've seen better days, Ameyuri."

As Ameyuri snorted, then began to cough violently, Zabuza made his way to the side of the tent's only cot, taking care not to knock anything over. Once situated, he waited for her to get her coughing under control.

"I've got a day or two left, I can feel it," Ameyuri said weakly, struggling to speak.

Zabuza didn't doubt her. She'd been fighting this disease for well over a year now. Despite all of the doctors she'd seen telling her she had only few more months left to live. However, that wasn't why he believed her. For the entire time, he'd once never seen her drop her shoulders, never compromise her posture even once.

Seeing the confused look on her friend's partially bandaged face, Ameyuri shook her head.

"I do not consent to Raiga being the next master of the Kiba swords," Ameyuri said, and once more began coughing.

Getting herself under control, she took several deep breaths before continuing. "I disowned him as my pupil, he was a failure… and now he's a commander in Yagura's forces…"

Zabuza nodded and carefully took the blades as Ameyuri struggled to even lift them. He didn't want her to hurt herself.

Laying one of the blades in his lap, he picked the other up and examined it. They were just as he remembered them.

"Do you want Jin to have them, should he be ready for them?"

"No."

The quick reply surprised Zabuza, but he didn't show it, only nodding silently. Getting to his feet, he held both swords in his right hand as he made his way toward the front of the tent.

"Zabuza…"

Turning toward Ameyuri, he waited for her to continue.

"Thank you."

Pushing the tent flap aside, Zabuza stepped out into the misty sunlight. He looked back down quickly as he sensed someone in front of him.

"Excuse me, Shinobi-san."

It was a young girl. He'd seen her following Ameyuri around before.

Stepping to the side, he held the tent flap open as the girl rushed inside. He heard the girl yell Ameyuri's name happily as he walked up to his sword and pulled it out of the ground. Making his way out of the collection of field hospitals, Zabuza kept an eye out for Jin as he walked through the Rebel camp.

Everyone saw him carrying the Kiba swords, and they all knew what it meant, but no one said anything.

As he passed Mei's tent, Chōjūrō nodded solemnly.

Reaching his own tent a few minutes later, Zabuza opened it up and chucked both swords inside, burying both to the hilt in the dirt next to his bedding. No one would dare steal them from him, and he had other matters to attend to right now.

Because he'd watched a few of Ameyuri's training sessions with Jin, he knew where to find the boy. He reached the small clearing in the woods a few minutes later, but stayed out of sight, choosing to watch first.

The young boy was practicing throwing Kunai at a simple wooden target nailed to a tree. After collecting his previous throws, Jin began walking back to the center of the clearing.

Moving one Kunai into his right hand, Jin took a deep breath and focused on the target twenty-four feet away.

As the last kunai hit the target, Zabuza stepped out of the mist. Jin had missed only once but had hit the bullseye with the other nine Kunai.

"Not bad, kid," Zabuza said, causing Jin to jump in surprise as he whirled around. "But you need to be better than that. Missing even one throw will result in your death."

"I know."

Even though Jin whispered as he turned away, Zabuza heard him clearly. It seemed the boy's first mission hadn't gone well.

Zabuza waited until after Jin had collected all of his Kunai and walked back into the clearing before continuing.

"You're coming with me on a diplomatic mission."

Jin looked at him in confusion, "to Kiri?"

"Pack to be gone a week and meet me on the east side in two hours," Zabuza said as he turned around, swiftly disappearing into the thick mist.

**Mysterious Land, Land of Water, EN.**

The wind roared in his ears as he tightly gripped the railing. The Legendary Swordsman's form was barely visible through the heavy rain.

Grunting loudly, Jin grabbed farther up the railing and continued to pull himself along. He'd tried to use chakra to steady himself on the wet deck, but it changed too rapidly. The amount of chakra needed to stick to water was vastly different than what was required to adhere to wood. He'd already put a dent in the boards, and he didn't want to do that again.

Upon reaching the bow of the ship, Jin tried to peer through the rushing mist. It was a futile effort, of course, the pouring rain only making the poor visibility worse.

"Do you know the Henge?"

Jin was shocked by how clear Zabuza's voice was through the roar of the storm.

"Yes!" Jin shouted, receiving a look of annoyance from Zabuza.

"You need to learn to use chakra to enhance your voice.." Zabuza said, and Jin nodded, slightly embarrassed. "Show me your henge."

Jin's eyes widened. To perform the henge, he needed both hands… hands currently gripping the railing as tightly as they could. _The henge will be ruined by the rain as well, I don't know if I can make it convincing._

However, it was clear that Zabuza didn't care.

Forming the hand seals required, Jin did his best to keep his footing as the ship rocked beneath his feet. He felt the Jutsu activate, but nothing visibly changed. Zabuza glanced at him before turning away.

"Not good enough, give me your headband. No one here will recognize you anyway."

Untying his headband, Jin slipped it off his head and placed it in Zabuza's open palm. The tall shinobi pocketed it.

"Where are we going?" Jin asked, shielding his eyes from the rain as he let the Henge fall away.

"If we meet civilians, you will be asking the questions until I tell you otherwise," Zabuza replied, ignoring Jin's question. "When the time is right, I want you to ask them about the Savior of the Village. Say something about hearing about it from your friends or whatever."

Jin was confused but nodded regardless.

Lifting his hand to wipe his eyes clear of water, Jin was shocked as someone appeared where Zabuza had been standing. They had grey hair and thick glasses, behind which were dark eyes. Their face was covered with a large beard, and he wore a sleeveless shirt with an obi, pants, and a pair of sandals.

He knew it was a henge, but the fact that Zabuza was suddenly so much shorter prevented his mind from accepting it.

"Drop the anchor, Captain!" Zabuza called over Jin's head, causing him to whip around just in time to see the Shinobi steering the boat nod in response. A moment later, Jin felt more than heard the huge chain clang against the side of the ship as it fell into the water.

Nothing happened for a moment, and then the anchor caught. Jin's fingers strained as he struggled to keep his balance against the force of the abrupt stop.

"We'll be back in a few hours, with or without the target, Captain."

Jin was shocked as Zabuza, still henged, leaped over the railing and rapidly disappeared from view. He looked back at the Captain to see the Shinobi gesturing for him to follow Zabuza.

Gulping, Jin climbed up on the slippery railing and tried to see the surface of the water below.

There was nothing, it looked like the fall went on forever.

Realizing he had seconds before Zabuza either left him or became very annoyed, Jin let himself fall forward. The rain and wind tore at his clothes as he dropped a dozen feet and barely managed to catch himself on the waves.

"Let's get moving."

Whipping his head up, Jin caught a brief glimpse of Zabuza's back as he walked away. Jin was forced to jump over a massive wave before he sprinted into the mist after the Legendary Swordsman.

—

"Where are we?"

As Zabuza continued to walk farther up the rock-filled beach, Jin wondered why he'd expected an answer. Zabuza hadn't explained anything since ordering him on this mission four days ago. That was unlikely to change now.

"If we run into a civilian, you will ask the questions. I will answer any questions. Understood?" Zabuza said.

Even though the old man was several feet ahead of him, and talking into the wind, Jin heard him clearly. _I really need to learn how to do that,_ Jin thought.

"Hai!" He yelled back, immediately regretting yelling as Zabuza looked over his shoulder, a look of annoyance on his face.

Straining his legs to move faster, Jin ran up beside Zabuza.

"What questions should I ask?"

"Ask if the Savior of the Village is here, that you've heard about him from a friend or something."

Jin nodded and carefully stepped over a sharp-looking rock in his way. There was a small path up the beach, but it was mostly washed away, and only big enough for one person at a time.

They walked in silence for several minutes as they slowly made their way up the beach. Jin couldn't see more than a dozen feet in front of them and therefore was surprised when a building suddenly appeared in the fog, looming overhead.

"There are some civilians ahead. I'll lead," Zabuza whispered.

Jin was surprised that anyone was out in this weather, but then again, they were out for some reason.

The ground shifted into what seemed to be a street made of smooth stones, and after walking down it for a minute, a group of people came into view.

"Hello there," Zabuza called, his voice mostly drowned out by the rain.

All three of the civilians turned and looked toward them. Jin could only see the expression of the nearest man, who looked surprised.

"Who are you?" The man closest asked, a look of suspicion on his face. Each of the civilians wore large straw hats that protected their faces from the weather, and Jin found himself wishing he had one.

"My name is Kojiro Nakayama, and this is my son," Zabuza said as they walked up to the group. "We've just arrived from Kanmurijima Island, where my wife and two daughters are."

"You left your family alone in a time like this?" One of the men said accusingly, and Zabuza quickly raised his hands.

"No, no, of course not. What with the civil war and everything, I wouldn't dare. No, they are staying with my brother while my son and I try to find a place where we don't have to constantly worry about being attacked." Zabuza quickly explained.

"I understand," the old man replied thoughtfully, "My name is Zeshin."

"Good to meet you, Zeshin," Zabuza said, firmly shaking the man's hand. Jin remained silent, though the urge to ask _where_ they were was overwhelming.

"If you're thinking about moving here, you might want to know that this place isn't as far away from the civil war as you might think," Zeshin said, rubbing his neck gently.

"What do you mean?"

"Zeshin got attacked by the Mizukage not even a week ago, bastard walked up and nearly choked Zeshin to death." One of the men next to Zeshin said, and then proceeded to spit at the ground. Jin's eyes widened in shock.

"The Mizukage was here?" Zabuza asked, letting fear underly his voice.

"Yeah, but thankfully our protector sent him running for Kiri."

Jin realized this was his opportunity and moved closer.

"Protector? You mean the Savior of the Village? My uncle told me stories about him, is he really real?" Jin asked, faking excitement as best as he could.

"Jin… I told you not to talk." Zabuza said in annoyance, pulling him back by his shoulder. For a moment, Jin thought he'd actually messed up until Zeshin spoke up.

"It's not a problem, Kojiro-san. I'm pleased to hear that Utakata-sama is so well known throughout the Land of Water. He certainly deserves it." Zeshin said as he crouched down and adjusted his wide hat to look at Jin directly. "When he first arrived here a few years ago, he showed up just in time to get rid of a band of missing-nin that was terrorizing the village. We couldn't ask Kiri for help, and he saved us all. That winter as well, we would have died again because the ocean froze so badly we couldn't get through it to get to fish."

"Yep, he came out and melted a massive hole, and we were finally able to get back the fish that those damn missing-nin stole from us." The man on the left said, and Jin nodded in genuine amazement. He didn't know who Utakata was, but they seemed to be powerful. _Is he who we're here for?_

"Does he still live here?" Jin asked, realizing that was what Zabuza would want him to ask.

"Hai, he lives up in a cave on a mountain to the east," Zeshin said as he stood back up. "Well, I've got to get home to the family. If you need a place to stay until the weather passes, Kojiro-san, there is a small inn farther down the street. It has a lantern out front, you can't miss it."

Zabuza bowed slightly, "Thank you, Zeshin-san."

Zeshin said goodbye to his friends and walked off into the rain. The other two men waved to Jin and Zabuza as they too turned and walked away.

Jin was pulled out of his thoughts as Zabuza began to walk away, though he wasn't heading toward the Inn Zeshin had kindly pointed out for them.

"Who is Utakata, Zabuza-sama?" Jin asked as he hurried to keep up with the Shinobi. It was clear that Zabuza was no longer trying to maintain his henge, as his legs were comically moving too slow for how fast he was walking.

"The Six-tails Jinchuriki," Zabuza replied as they left the village behind and entered a thick forest. The trees weren't like the ones in the Land of Water. The tree's branches were tightly entwined with each other, acting as a shield against the rain.

After a couple of minutes, they reached a pathway that led up what Jin presumed to be a mountain. Progress was slow, as the path had become little more than a channel for rainwater as it flowed down the hill. Jin was forced to skip from stone to stone, nearly tripping and falling several times.

Zabuza, of course, just trudged through the water like it wasn't there.

After what felt like an hour of climbing, Jin looked out to his left and realized he couldn't see any fog. They'd climbed above it, and if it wasn't raining so heavily, he realized he would probably be able to see for miles.

"You can drop the henge, Shinobi-san."

Jin nearly slipped on the rocks as he whirled around, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"Utakata-sama, it's my pleasure to finally meet you."

Whirling around again, Jin found who Zabuza was talking to.

A man had appeared on the path ahead, and Jin could feel the raw power radiating from them. It made him think of the Resistance Leader… but so much stronger.

The stranger was shorter than Zabuza but just as lean. He wore a light blue Kimono, which surprisingly, didn't look at all wet despite the rain. Zabuza dropped his henge and abruptly grew in height, causing the stranger to look up at him.

"Zabuza Momochi, a supporter of the Rebels." The stranger said calmly.

Jin tensed, suddenly unsure if Utakata was a friend or foe.

"How interesting. Now both sides of the war have come to ask me to join them." Utakata continued.

"So I heard," Zabuza replied, causing Utakata to nod.

"Yes, Yagura tried to force me to join his army."

Zabuza laughed, and Jin looked at the tall Shinobi in shock. He'd thought Zabuza was incapable of laughing.

"I wished I'd been here to see that short bastard run with his tail between his legs."

Jin finally mustered up enough confidence to move closer, and Utakata looked over at him as if having not noticed him before.

"Who are you?"

Jin bowed as deeply as he could, "My name is Jin Arashi, Utakata-sama."

"Ah, an Arashi…" Utakata said thoughtfully. Jin thought he sounded like he wanted to say more, but the brown-haired Jinchuriki was silent.

"I get the feeling that this trip was pointless," Zabuza prompted. Utakata nodded and got to his feet.

"I have no interest in joining the Rebel's, but I thank you for your visit to my home."

"Why not?"

Jin immediately regretted saying anything as Zabuza glared at him, Utakata looked at him curiously for a moment before replying.

"This civil war does not concern me, I left the Land of Water before it began, and I will still be here when it ends. Should Yagura be foolish enough to attack my village, I would kill him, but otherwise, it's none of my concern."

Jin's fist tightened, anger rising within him as he glared at Utakata's emotionless expression.

"People are dying! Yagura is a monster, and if you can beat him, why wouldn't you?! No one else has to die!'"

"Jin, enough!" Zabuza ordered sharply, and Jin felt his jaw tighten painfully as he backed up.

"Is that your final decision, Utakata?"

Utakata nodded and turned away. Jin glared at the Jinchuriki's back as he walked away. Was that it? Had they come all this way, just for this man to say no?

Realizing Zabuza was walking back down the mountain, Jin turned around.

"Why are we just leaving?" Jin shouted, causing Zabuza to turn around sharply. Jin jumped back in shock as the tall Shinobi appeared in front of him.

"Utakata is the strongest Shinobi in the Land of Water… if he says no, then that's it. There is no forcing him to do anything he doesn't want to do. We're going back to base, now come." Zabuza ordered, his voice scarily quiet.

Turning away, Jin shouted up the path, just barely able to see Utakata's retreating form.

"You're a traitor! My village was destroyed by Yagura, and he's only going to keep killing innocent people… and it's your fault! You selfish bastard!" Jin screamed, tears running down his face. Pushing past Zabuza, Jin sprinted down the trail, barely paying attention to where he was going.

Zabuza was silent for a moment before shaking his head and following Jin down the mountain.

Neither of them saw the sadness in Utakata's eyes as he watched them from afar.

**Rebel Base Camp, Mitsukejima Island, Land of Water, EN.**

As the ship came slowed, Jin and Zabuza jumped over the railing and landed on the wooden deck below. The Captain and his crew would secure the vessel and prepare it for its next voyage.

It had taken another four days of tedious sailing to make it back to the camp, but Jin was relieved they'd finally arrived. He'd been away from Hikari longer than he ever wanted to be, and he needed to know she was okay.

"You're free to go," Zabuza said, and promptly vanished in a swirl of water.

Sighing, Jin made his way toward the beach and along the shaded path to the camp.

As he reached the edge of the camp, he came to a stop, realizing that something was wrong. Everyone around him was looking at him. Several of the shinobi had looks of pity on their face, and he was utterly confused as to why.

Seeing a face he recognized, he realized they were walking up to him.

"Ganryu-sama, what's going on? Why is everyone looking at me?"

Jin looked at Ganyru's hand as the taller Shinobi placed it on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Jin, I really am," Ganyru said as he crouched down to be level with Jin. "Ringo-sama succumbed to her illness while you were gone… I'm so sorry, kid."

Pulling away, Jin sprinted around Ganyru and into camp. The Shinobi quickly moved out of the way, watching him tear by as Jin raced toward Ameyuri's tent.

Barely a minute later, and Jin threw the tent flap to the side and sprinted inside.

Ruka and Hikari were there, and upon seeing him enter, Hikari broke away from Ruka and ran over to him. He barely reacted as she crashed into him, hugging him tightly.

Looking at Ruka, he saw her nod quietly and fell to his knees, finally powerless to keep himself in check.

Hugging Hikari tightly, he cried into her shoulder as she cried into his.

Several minutes passed before Jin was finally able to get to his feet, forcing the emotions down.

"Where… where was… she…"

"On top of the hill to the south of camp," Ruka said as she got up and walked over. Crouching down beside the crying Hikari, she did her best to comfort the girl. Jin instantly understood and kissed Hikari on the head before turning around.

"I'll be back, Hikari," Jin assured his sister, struggling to speak. His throat felt like it was going to close. He waited until he saw his sister nod before pushing aside the tent flap and stepping outside.

Pressing his hand against the side of his head, Jin struggled to keep himself under control. Breathing deeply, Jin squeezed his eyes tightly, flexing his hands in an attempt to do… something.

Chakra poured out of his core, rushing through his limbs as Jin turned toward the south. A split second later, Jin vanished in a burst of speed. No one got in his way as he dashed through the camp, dodging and weaving between the various tents.

Breaking through the trees, Jin skidded to a stop.

As if in a dream, Jin slowly walked up the hill, his eyes locked on the obsidian stone tablet sat atop. Even from so far away, he could clearly make out Ameyuri's name.

"No…"

There was more on the tablet, but he couldn't see it through the tears as he fell to his knees in front of the grave.

"I'm so sorry… Ameyuri… I'm so so so sorry!" Jin screamed as he fell forward, punching the ground repeatedly as tears poured from his eyes.

"I… no… please, no!"

Gripping his head, Jin cried out as the pain in his head became overwhelming.

Ameyuri training him… Ameyuri taking him and Hikari fishing… Ameyuri teaching him to climb a tree… Ameyuri tucking him and Hikari into bed...

"No… why… why, why, why, WHY!"

He'd avoided her. For two weeks, he'd stayed as far away from her as he could. She thought he hated her, and he hadn't even thanked her! He never had thanked her for saving him and Hikari. _She died thinking I hated her, and I… I never even told her..._

"Thank… thank you…" Jin sobbed, trying desperately to see the gravestone through his tears. "Thank you!"

Finally giving in, Jin curled into a ball and slowly rocked back and forth, a foot from the gravestone.

An hour passed… and then another… Jin continued to cry, unable to get control of himself, and not even bothering to try. Memories of Ameyuri had long since faded into memories of his mother and father. The attack on his village... the man he had killed.

"Ameyuri would be disappointed in you. She didn't train you to be a cry baby."

Coughing violently, Jin slowly pushed himself up onto his knees. He tried to wipe his face with his sleeves, but they were covered in mud, and he quickly gave up.

"She made you into who you are now, brought you in when you had nothing, and trained you with her dying breath."

Jin sobbed, and the voice behind him became more annoyed.

"Yet here you are… just crying… like a bitch."

"No…" Jin tried to explain.

"Either get up and make her sacrifice worth it, or I'll kill you right here."

Breathing heavily, Jin struggled to push himself up to his feet. Turning toward the voice, he saw Zabuza staring at him in contempt.

"Better."

Jin managed to wipe some of the tears away and found Zabuza walking away. The Shinobi disappearing into the mist a moment later. Gulping, Jin turned around and gazed at the gravestone.

For several minutes, nothing moved.

Steeling himself, Jin bowed deeply and turned away, his face emotionless as he began walking back toward the camp.

* * *

6 to 12 more chapters are **always available** or in development over at our discord.

The Discord Server code is: **yewTGGX**

New chapters are typically released _every_ week on Thursday.

**Join us to read, comment and contribute to rough drafts, drafts, release candidates and public chapters before they're released elsewhere!**

This chapter was posted on: 3/26/20 (Exactly one week after the previous one)  
_This chapter was one both of us struggled to write._

**Co-authors:**

TheLegendaryOne

**Special thanks to those that helped create this chapter:**

Qibolu  
TheLegendaryOne

**Beta Readers:**

Tensleep  
Qibolu

**OC Creators of OC's in this chapter:**

Jin Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Hikari Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)


	7. Chapter 7: Sarushima Island

**Chapter 7: Sarushima Island**

* * *

**Sarushima Island, Land of Water, EN.**

Tightly gripping the ship railing, Yagura glared at the mist in front of him, as if he could make it disappear.

He was close, and he knew it. Taking this island would put him one step closer to ending this war. The rebels didn't even know he was coming… it would be a slaughter.

_There will be reinforcements, of course, but that's what I want, _Yagura thought excitedly. All he had to do was not reveal himself in this battle, and his men would make sure a couple of the rebels got away. The reinforcements would rush to their comrade's aid, and he would kill them all!

Yagura briefly found himself hoping that Mei herself would be forced to come, but crushed the feeling. His overconfidence had nearly been his downfall from the very beginning. When the Resistance had first arisen, he'd gathered as many Shinobi as he could and marched on the island he believed they were hiding on.

It had been a trap, and had he not sacrificed hundreds of his men, he would have died.

_I won't make such a mistake again, Mei. _

Hearing someone run across the deck toward him, Yagura turned around.

"Mizukage-sama! We're approaching the island now."

Yagura smiled.

"Give the order," Yagura demanded.

The Captain hurriedly spun around and sprinted back across the deck.

"Begin the attack," Yagura whispered gleefully.

This was his favorite part, the calm before the battle. It was the only time he felt peaceful.

A bell clanged loudly.

He couldn't see them, but he could sense them.

Hundred of Shinobi pouring over the sides of a dozen ships on the ocean around him. Landing skillfully on the surface of the water, they all quickly formed ranks and, at their platoon leader's order, began sprinting toward the island through the fog.

There was no more need for stealth, and he couldn't stop himself from grinning.

Pushing up off the railing, he gripped his staff and leaped up into the air. Grabbing the bottom of the crows' nest, Yagura pulled himself up.

The bell clanged again, louder this time, echoing across the surface of the ocean. It was the island's only warning.

Pulling his staff free, Yagura held it between his palms. This was the only time he'd get to participate in the coming battle, and he intended to make his mark.

Having expected it, Yagura easily kept himself steady as the boat crashed against the beach beneath his feet. They were here.

Whipping the staff around his hand, Yagura rapidly began forming seals. The staff never stopped moving, never stopped spinning.

**"Wind Release: Air Current Wild Dance!" **Yagura roared.

The thick mist parted violently, shoved to the side by a giant whirlwind. Grinning wildly, Yagura spun his staff faster and faster, the wind growing ever more powerful.

He could only hear the roar of his Jutsu in his ears as the thick mist rapidly vanished. His jutsu propelling his men forward, the trees bending beneath the force.

As abruptly as it had begun, it stopped, and Yagura reattached his staff to his back.

It was beautiful. Yagura's men sprinted through the trees. Some on land and some the canopies, all heading for the capital of the island. Sarushima was finished.

—

When he'd joined the Rebellion, Mangetsu had done it purely out of disgust and hatred for Yagura. He didn't do it out of any loyalty to the Land of Water, or sense of righteousness.

Yagura had never deserved to become the Mizukage.

When the Karatachi family had begun pushing for their son to become the Mizukage, Mangetsu and his clan had fought against them. Ultimately they had lost because Yagura threatened the council with his betrayal.

Mangetsu would have killed Yagura then and there if Zabuza hadn't stopped him. A choice the cleaver-wielding butcher now regretted.

The Seven Legendary Swordsmen had been forced to swear loyalty to Yagura, but he had refused. Of course, that meant he was kicked from the swordsmen's ranks, but he didn't care. He'd bided his time and ultimately had been proven right.

The leaders of the United Islands of the Land of Water had eventually come to realize what he'd known all along. Yagura was a fool, an incompetent whiny child that had only ever gotten what he wanted by threatening to use his Bijū on those in his way.

Now, the Land of Water was in a civil war against Yagura, the bratty child thinking that by killing the Resistance, he would somehow bring peace back to the country.

_Even Yagura's own family has disowned him, though they've kept it hidden from him, _Mangetsu mused.

Reaching the end of the beach, Mangetsu leaped into the air before diving into the foggy ocean below. A moment later, he reappeared, but his legs didn't. Instead, they had formed together with the ocean surface.

Manipulating the ocean around him, Mangetsu propelled himself forward at a speed few could match. Such was the strength of the Hōzuki Clan, a Kekkai Genkai that allowed the user to liquefy their bodies at will.

_If Yagura is there, I will have to be careful… his mastery of the Bijū has improved, _Mangetsu thought, wisely keeping his lust for blood under control.

His orders were to assist Sarushima in their plight to the best of his ability until backup could come. Mei was currently scrambling to find as many Shinobi as she could and load them on boats. The soonest they would arrive would be in two days.

He was the only one capable of reaching Sarushima quickly, and therefore he'd been chosen.

Upon receiving his orders, Mangetsu had immediately begun preparing to leave but had been stopped by Zabuza outside the command tent. Mangetsu had been about to slice open Zabuza's throat when the Swordsman had handed him the Kiba Swords.

Nothing had been said, but Mangetsu had understood. Ameyuri was dead, and he was the new owner of the swords. As far as he was aware, he was the only one who knew how to use the swords, which logically made him next in line.

When he'd joined the Legendary Swordsmen, he'd requested to be taught how to use every sword, since none were available at the time. It had taken quite a lot of effort to get each Master to agree, but over nearly a decade, he had mastered each one.

He'd become the only Shinobi in history to master every one of the Legendary Swords.

Still, as Sarushima Island came into view, the mist mysteriously absent, Mangetsu couldn't resist the eerie calm he felt settling over him.

Reaching the beach and separating himself from the ocean, Mangetsu drew the Kiba swords and sprinted inland. He could hear the sound of Jutsu's being thrown around and headed toward them.

A minute later, Mangetsu leaped up into the canopy, having sensed signatures ahead. He could see the walls of Sarushima's capital ahead. Assessing the situation beneath him, Mangetsu dropped out of the trees like a wrecking ball and crashed into a Loyalist.

Pouring Chakra through his arm, Mangetsu shivered in delight as he bared his sharp teeth at the frightened Loyalists around him.

"Mangetsu, you traitor!" One shouted, spitting a ball of water at him. It traveled all of twelve feet before halting abruptly in mid-air.

Mangetsu's grin widened.

Flicking his finger, the ball of water formed into a spike and flew through the air back toward the original caster. As soon as his target dodged, Mangetsu abruptly changed the water's course and impaled another Shinobi through the chest.

**"Lightning Release: Lightning Fang!"**

Liquidating himself seconds before a Loyalist stabbed him in the back, Mangetsu reformed next to them and drove one of the Kiba swords through their head. The lightning arcing from the blade instantly fried their brain, and arced again onto the closest Loyalist. They died instantly.

It took Mangetsu less than a minute to kill all thirteen loyalists. He hadn't arrived in time to save the Rebels they had been fighting, but such was the way of war.

Instinctually, Mangetsu liquified his head and felt something pass through him harmlessly. Turning toward where the attack had come from, Mangetsu waited for the sword to pass back through his head, knowing it was attached to a string.

"Mangetsu, I was wondering if they would send you first," Yagura said politely, smiling warmly.

Twirling the Kibas in his hands, Mangetsu took a defensive stance. He knew he could take Kushimaru and Jinpachi, and win.

However, Yagura would make it difficult.

"Do you really think the Rebellion is going to defeat me, Mangetsu? Is that why you joined them?" Yagura asked, taking a step forward. Mangetsu ignored him, watching Kushimaru and Jinpachi closely as the two Sword Masters spread out.

_They won't attack until Yagura tells them too. I should have known they would follow him. Those two only care about death, no matter who it's on, _Mangetsu thought, pouring more Chakra into the Kiba swords.

"You're going to die here, Mangetsu." Yagura declared, drawing his staff. "Just like the rest of your clan. "

**"Die!"** Mangetsu screamed as he leaped at Yagura, lightning arcing wildly through the air, scorching the ground.

**Near Sarushima Island, Land of Water, EN.**

"Fukuda Chiura!" The Shinobi at the stairs called, and a Shinobi sitting a dozen feet away from Jin got to his feet.

Jin sighed as yet another name was called that wasn't his own. He'd been waiting for the last hour for his assigned team captain to arrive and call his name.

Two days ago, he'd been ordered on a ship with barely any time to pack supplies, and given a tiny spot in the hull alongside a hundred other Rebel Shinobi.

Their orders were to travel to Sarushima and provide backup to any Rebel Shinobi still alive. Jin wasn't sure there would be anyone alive, given the whispering of his comrades.

He'd at first been excited and terrified at the prospect of fighting in his first real battle, but now, after two days of complete boredom, Jin just wanted to get out and stretch his legs.

"Yuyu Sawaya!" The Team Captain called, and a Kunoichi on the other side of the room got to her feet.

Giving up, Jin leaned against the barrel behind him and got as comfortable as was possible.

He could hear orders being shouted on the deck above, and Jin was once more hit with the reality of his situation. In less than an hour, at best, he would be fighting alongside his comrades against the Loyalists.

He could die.

Jin expected the realization to terrify him, but instead, he felt… nothing.

_There's nothing I can do about it,_ Jin realized. No one was going to save him, and if he didn't hold his own, he'd be killed without a second thought.

Breathing deeply, Jin closed his eyes and folded his hands on his chest.

"Isaki Kanai!"

_I wonder if Ameyuri is watching over me,_ Jin wondered. Ever since she had died, Jin had found himself imagining Ameyuri talking to him, scolding him when he felt like giving up in his training.

Jin hoped he could make her proud of him.

"Jin Arashi!"

Getting to his feet quickly, Jin checked that his Kunai pouch was strapped to his side and made his way through the sea of sitting Shinobi to his team captain.

"All of you follow me."

Jin waited for his teammates to pass him before following them up the stairs and out of the stuffy hull. The sudden bright sunlight forced Jin to shield his eyes as he stepped out on the deck.

The ship was covered in dozens of organized teams, four Shinobi standing behind their team Captain each. Jin hurried to catch up with his team.

"My name is Omura, and for the foreseeable future, I will be your captain," Omura explained as they walked to get in line.

"Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Jin shouted alongside his teammates. Being the last one to get in line, he took the spot at the back and to the left, next to Yuyu.

"We will be arriving at Sarushima shortly!" The Shinobi standing in front of the teams shouted, and Jin guessed that he was the Platoon Leader.

Jin didn't understand all that much about large scale battle, but Ameyuri had explained to him that in the Land of Water, battles were fought in teams.

Every team had a Team Captain, and there were twenty-five teams in a Platoon. The Team Captains reported to the Platoon Leader, who, in turn, reported to the War Commander, along with four other Platoon Leaders.

Jin had overheard that there was only one War Commander for this battle, Zabuza Momochi.

"We will be the frontal attack," The Platoon Leader shouted, "As such, I expect all Team Captains to make the survival of your team the highest priority! We cannot afford to lose anyone."

"Defensive Jutsu first, give the rest of the platoons space to enter the battle. I don't expect we will be attacked before we reach Sarushima's capital, but it's possible." The Platoon Leader continued.

"Be aware! It is highly likely that at least one of the Loyalist Swordsmen will be present. Because of this, the War Commander will be joining us on the front lines."

Jin felt a wave of relief.

There was a moment of silence as the Platoon Leader stared at the floor, the only sound the waves crashing against the ship.

"I won't lie to you, many of us are likely to die in this battle. The reports we have say the Loyalists outnumbered our forces at Sarushima three to one."

Jin heard several Shinobi begin to whisper amongst themselves.

"I understand if you wish to-"

The Platoon Leader was cut off by Zabuza, who abruptly appeared next to him in a swirl of water.

"Shut the fuck up, Gaho!" Zabuza roared, and the Platoon Leader cowered in fear as he backed up rapidly. Turning toward the gathered Shinobi with a fire in his eyes, Zabuza glared at them.

"If you even think about fucking bailing, I will cleave you in half!"

Jin gulped. The killing intent Zabuza was releasing at him was frightening, but he managed to stand his ground.

"We may be too late to save Sarushima from the Mizukage-Baikokudo! But we're damn sure going to avenge it!"

Zabuza's proclamation was met by a deafening roar of approval, and Jin was overwhelmed by the sudden rise of Chakra in the air around him.

_Everyone is warming up._

Closing his eyes, Jin released the gates on his own Chakra and shivered as he felt the cold energy flow through his body.

It was dangerous to do this. Releasing all restrictions on one's Chakra was only to be done when there was no hope for stealth remaining.

In a battle like this, stealth was pointless.

Jin opened his eyes.

—

Keeping his Team Captain in view, Jin jumped from branch to branch alongside his teammates. Every tree around him was full of Shinobi as they moved forward.

At the front of the Platoon was Zabuza, his enormous sword flashing in the sunlight.

Jin could feel the energy in the air... as if it had been supercharged with lightning. Everyone was itching for battle, to fight, to kill, to avenge Sarushima against the Loyalists, against Yagura.

As Zabuza dipped out of sight ahead, Jin saw team after team fall out of the canopy. Eventually, his team followed suit and sprinted down the road toward Sarushima.

A few minutes passed before they arrived, and Jin had only a few seconds to admire the capital's daunting walls before all hell broke loose.

The Loyalists had been ready. As soon as the Rebel platoon got within range, a gigantic wave of Jutsu was unleashed toward them.

"Do not falter!" Zabuza roared, and a mighty torrent of water shot forward from his mouth. A hundred Shinobi followed suit, and Jutsu after Jutsu formed together, creating a massive defensive wall.

Jin could feel his Chakra mixing with his comrades as the tsunami they had created roared toward the capital.

The collision shook the very earth, and Jin was forced to flow Chakra into his feet to keep his balance.

"Take out the ones on the walls!" Omura ordered, having to shout to be heard, and Jin had to squint to see who he was pointing at.

An explosion to the right made Jin recoil in fear, and he watched bodies fly through the air, unable to process what he was seeing.

**"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"** Isaki shouted, knocking Jin out of his shock.

Watching her Jutsu fly through the air, Jin was shocked as it hit the wall and cratered it. He couldn't tell if she'd hit anyone.

Shaking his head, Jin ignored the explosions around him. Focusing on the tower closest to him, Jin began forming hand seals as fast as he was able.

Relaxing his shoulders, Jin pointed both of his hands at the tower.

"Get out of his way!" Omaru shouted, and several Shinobi in front of Jin ducked.

**"Typhoon Release: Gale Blast!"**

Wind roared to life around Jin's arms, and water quickly followed after it. With every passing second, the concoction of Elemental Natures spun faster and faster, condensing tighter and tighter.

When Jin couldn't hold it any longer, he brought his hands together and released his control of the Jutsu.

Like a rubber band pulled beyond its limit, the Jutsu shot toward the tower, knocking several Jutsu off course as it tore through the air.

Jin felt his jaw drop as his Jutsu hit the tower and utterly destroyed it. He'd aimed lower than he had meant too but apparently had hit the tower's support.

As if in slow motion, the tower tipped forward, eventually snapping off entirely and falling dozens of feet before loudly crashing into the ground.

"Good job, Jin!" Omaru shouted, and fired off a Jutsu, hitting another one in mid-air.

"Jin!"

Turning toward the voice, Jin saw Fukuda pointing at the main gate, which was somehow still standing despite the barrage of Jutsu exploding against it.

"Can you do that again? Aim for one of the hinges?" Fukuda shouted, and Jin nodded.

"Good, we'll cover you," Omaru shouted, and rapidly formed a dozen seals before slamming his palm onto the ground.

Water leaped up into the air in front of them all, forming a defensive wall that barely stopped a colossal water dragon heading straight for them.

Jin gulped, and in the brief moment of safety, looked around at the battlefield.

Dead Shinobi lay on the ground everywhere, though more were still standing, throwing Jutsu after Jutsu at the walls. Jin saw dozens of Shinobi trying the climb up the sides, though they were being held at bay by the Loyalists above.

The gate had to fall if they were going to get inside.

Breathing deeply, Jin drew on his Chakra once more. The Gale Blast was his most potent Jutsu and one that Ameyuri had only let him fire at the ocean's surface.

He'd never known how powerful it was.

Forming seals as quickly as he could, he nodded to Omaru, who dropped the wall of water.

Once more, Wind Chakra swirled to life around his outstretched arms, and Jin groaned as he strained to keep his arms steady.

Waiting longer than he had before, Jin refined his aim and fired.

Like a juggernaut, the Gale Blast exploded across the battlefield.

It hit the gate a second later and tore a perfect hole through the upper right hinge.

Jin fell to his knees, struggling to breathe.

He didn't have time to catch his breath before someone hauled him to his feet and pulled him backward. Jin's eyes widened as a dozen Water Shuriken tore through the ground where he'd just been.

"Keep your head in the game!" Yuyu shouted as she drew a Kunai. Jin nodded and turned toward his Captain, who'd just ordered for them to follow him.

Running after his Captain, Jin ignored his fallen comrades as they crossed the battlefield. Seconds before they reached the gate, it fell inward, loudly crashing to the ground.

Jin caught a glimpse of Zabuza before the Swordsman disappeared into the city.

Seconds after Jin and his team entered the city, they were forced to stop.

A massive wall of water had rapidly rose up around them, trapping Jin and all of the Rebel invaders inside.

"Welcome to Reeku City!"

Focusing on the voice, Jin spotted a young Shinobi standing on a motionless wave of water, high above them all. There was a staff strapped to their back, and they seemed to be smiling.

"It's the Mizukage…" Omaru warned, and Jin looked at him in shock before looking back at the now identified Mizukage.

_He doesn't seem that much older than me… how is he the Mizukage? _Jin wondered, struggling to believe it.

"Are you here to avenge your comrades, perhaps?" The Mizukage asked, his voice amplified.

Jin was about to start forming seals when the Mizukage kicked a body over the edge of the wave. He watched it fall several dozen feet before hitting the ground with an audible thud.

Barely able to see across the Shinobi in front of him, Jin saw Zabuza crouch out of sight at the front of the platoon.

"Yes, it's Mangetsu. The most powerful member of the Legendary Swordsmen, dead." The Mizukage proclaimed loudly, his tone almost happy. "Now, Zabuza Momochi, you will join him!"

Jin's eyes widened as the Mizukage clapped his palms together. The sky began to darken, the massive walls slowly falling inward.

_We're going to be crushed to death!_

"Defensive Shield!" Zabuza yelled.

Jin was confused as all of his comrades got on one knee and rapidly began going through seals. Looking up, Jin watched as the darkness thickened, the water falling faster.

**"Water Release: Water Shield!"**

The roar of a hundred Shinobi was deafening, and Jin watched in amazement as stream after stream of water shot into the air, forming with others to create a massive dome above them.

The Jutsu crashed against each other, and Jin covered his head as complete darkness filled the dome. The sound was terrifying, and Jin expected to be crushed to death at any moment.

However, sunlight returned as quickly as it had vanished, and Jin looked up just in time to be hit in the face by the water dome collapsing.

Hearing the familiar sound, Jin leaped into the air without thinking, narrowly avoiding being electrocuted by the lightning arcing through the water.

Not all of the Shinobi reacted fast enough, and Jin watched as several burst into flame, screaming for a brief second before toppling over.

Landing on a nearby roof, Jin turned toward the source of the Jutsu to see someone he'd never seen before. However, he recognized the twin swords they were holding.

_How did he get Ameyuri-sensei's swords?!_

"Look out!"

Turning toward the shout, Jin saw a masked Shinobi impale a thin, needle-like sword through a Rebel Shinobi on the next roof.

Omaru spat a ball of water at the assailant and turned toward his team, his mouth opening as he started to give an order.

Jin stared at the thin blade protruding from Omaru's head blankly, unable to process what had happened until Omaru fell over.

Leaping backward, Jin saw the white-masked Shinobi turn toward him, and for a brief moment, thought he was going to die.

Instead of leaping after him, the attacker jumped backward, narrowly avoiding Zabuza's massive sword as it smashed into the roof.

Zabuza didn't even look at Jin as he easily pulled the sword free and leaped after the masked Shinobi.

_What do I do?_ Jin wondered, staring at his Team Captain's body.

Hearing the familiar sound of crackling lightning, Jin turned back to the street below to see the Shinobi holding the Kiba Swords tearing through his comrades.

_You don't deserve to have those!_

Jin didn't try to hold back the sudden rage he felt. Instead, he channeled it as he rapidly formed seals.

**"Typhoon Release: Great Consecutive Bursting Extreme Winds!"** Jin roared as he leaped off the roof and landed in the middle of the street below.

The Shinobi instantly noticed Jin and threw casually threw a Kunai at him as he continued to kill the Rebels around him.

Wind Chakra screamed to life as it spun around Jin, throwing the Kunai wildly off course. He couldn't move while doing this Jutsu, but he didn't need to.

Throwing a hand toward the Shinobi, Jin unleashed his Jutsu.

Dozens of sharp wind blades separated themselves from his tornado, tearing through the air towards the Shinobi wielding the Kiba Swords.

Seeing his target easily avoid his attacks, Jin growled in annoyance.

More wind blades split off from the tornado, cutting the street deeply on impact.

Jin ignored the drain in his Chakra, determined to just hit the Shinobi once. Despite all of his efforts, the Shinobi avoided all of his attacks.

Abruptly, Jin's Chakra finally gave out, and his Jutsu sputtered out just as the Shinobi sprinted toward him.

_I'm going to die,_ Jin realized, unable to get himself to stand. There was no one nearby, they'd all either been killed or backed up when he'd unleashed his Jutsu.

Jin saw a water blade tear through the air out of the corner of his eye, and for a split second, felt hope. The feeling was crushed instantly, the Shinobi deflecting the Jutsu with one of the blades without even looking. Drawing near, they raised the other sword in the air, preparing the cleave him in two.

Having expected to feel nothing, Jin was surprised when he instead felt a sudden pain in his side as someone kicked him.

Forcing his eyes open, Jin saw Zabuza blocking the Shinobi's attack with his sword before he crashed into a wall.

Groaning, Jin struggled to stay conscious until he heard the alien sound of Zabuza shouting in pain.

* * *

6 to 12 more chapters are **always available** or in development over at our discord.

The Discord Server code is: **yewTGGX**

New chapters are typically released _every_ week on Thursday.

**Join us to read, comment and contribute to rough drafts, drafts, release candidates and public chapters before they're released elsewhere!**

This chapter was posted on: 4/2/20 (Exactly one week after the previous one)  
_We hope you enjoyed!_

**Co-authors:**

TheLegendaryOne

**Special thanks to those that helped create this chapter:**

Qibolu  
TheLegendaryOne

**Beta Readers:**

Tensleep  
Qibolu

**OC Creators of OC's in this chapter:**

Jin Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)  
Hikari Arashi (TheLegendaryOne)


End file.
